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Ii .  AppletoiL  &  Co. 


THE  LIFE 


OF 


WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK: 


PERSONAL,   MILITARY,  AND   POLITICAL 


EEV.  l     X.  JUNKIN,  D.  D., 

LATE   CHAPLAIN  ^TNITED   STATES 


FRANK  H.  NORTON, 

FORMERLY   ASSISTANT   LIBRARIAN   A8TOR    LIBRARY. 


ILLUSTRATED  ON  WOOD  WITH  BATTLE-SCENES  BY  A.  P.  WAUD, 
AND  STEEL  FOR TRAIT  BY  HALL,  FROM  SARONT. 


NEW    YORK: 
D.     APPLETON    AND    COMPANY, 

1,  8,  AND   5   BOND   STEEET. 
1880. 


COPYRIGHT  BY 
D.   APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

1880. 


Tf' *938 


PEEFATOEY. 


THIS  memoir  of  Winfield  Scott  Hancock  is  founded 
on  an  extended  biography,  compiled  by  the  late  Rev.  D. 
X.  Junldn,  D.  D.,  an  eminent  Presbyterian  minister. 
Dr.  Junkin  was  engaged  during  many  years  in  the  prep- 
aration of — what  was  to  him  a  labor  of  love — the  life  of 
his  hero,  and  his  standard  of  excellence ;  the  life  of  a  man 
who,  to  his  mind,  represented  all  that  is  noble,  wise,  and 
generous  in  human  nature.  Esteeming  General  Hancock 
above  all  other  men,  he  confidently  believed,  up  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  that  the  American  people  would  eventu- 
ally pay  just  tribute  to  the  statesmanlike  qualities,  the 
stanch  integrity,  the  magnanimity,  and  the  patriotism 
of  his  hero  by  elevating  him  to  the  highest  executive 
position  within  their  gift.  Dr.  Junkin  died  in  April, 
1880,  respected  and  lamented. 

In  undertaking  the  revision,  condensation,  and  com- 
pletion of  Dr.  Junkin's  voluminous  and  comprehensive 
material,  the  undersigned  has  been  aided  by  having  free 
access  to  all  the  necessary  documents,  including  the  offi- 
cial reports  of  General  Hancock.  He  desires  to  recognize 


YHMitHJ   VTOH'Ol'i-Ala   3KT 

IV  PREFATORY. 

in  this  place  tlie  value  of  the  information  afforded  him 
and  the  aid  rendered  by  Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier- 
General  "W.  G.  Mitchell,  of  General  Hancock's  staff,  for 
eighteen  years  the  General's  principal  aide-de-camp,  and 
at  present  his  close  and  valued  friend. 

It  has  been  the  conscientious  intention  and  scrupulous 
effort  of  the  undersigned,  in  performing  his  responsible 
duty  in  connection  with  this  work,  to  present  to  its  readers 
such  an  account  of  its  distinguished  subject  as  should  best 
convey  the  means  for  a  just  estimate  of  General  Hancock's 
profound  and  varied  nature,  and  of  the  vivid  and  impor- 
tant attitude  which  he  sustains  as  a  prominent  figure  in 
American  history. 

General  Hancock's  single-minded  patriotism,  his  deep 
sense  of  the  duty  of  man  to  his  brother  man,  his  contempt 
for  the  employment  of  narrow,  vicious,  and  degraded 
methods  to  sustain  selfishness  and  illegitimate  ambition, 
his  remarkably  acute  and  just  perception  of  the  relations 
of  things,  his  comprehensive  accumulation  of  knowledge, 
and  the  natural  wisdom  which  has  rendered  his  ability 
and  his  knowledge  valuable  to  his  fellow  countrymen — 
these  are  some  of  the  qualities  and  characteristics  which 
have  been  made  prominent  in  the  acts  and  life  of  General 
Hancock,  and  which  this  biography  has  sought  to  render 

evident. 

FRANK  H.  NORTON. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  of  Hancock — His  Birthplace — Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania ;  its 
Scenes  and  Associations — The  Hancock  Family — Ancestry  and  Early 
History — Benjamin  F.  Hancock  and  hia  Wife — Character  and  Charac- 
teristics of  the  Norristown  Justice — Elements  of  Family  Character — 
Family  Politics PAGE  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Early  Life — Home  Education— School  Days  at  the  Norristown  Academy — 
The  High  School  and  the  Literary  Society— Playing  Soldiers— The  Boy 
Orator  and  Lecturer — Character  of  Young  Hancock — His  Sense  of  Jus- 
tice— Anecdote  of  the  Young  Orphan  Boy — Extraordinary  Coincidence — 
Young  Hancock  turns  Printer 8 

CHAPTER  III. 

"VVest  Point — Young  Hancopk  is  appointed  Cadet — His  Life  at  the  Military 
Academy — Course  of  General  Reading — Studying  Blackstene — Gradua- 
tion— Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  Sixth  Infantry — He  starts  for  the 
Frontier — Fort  Washita,  Indian  Territory — The  Mexican  Border — Com- 
missioned Second  Lieutenant — Rumors  of  War — Anxiety  for  Active  Ser- 
vice— Beginning  of  the  War  with  Mexico — The  Impatient  Young  Sol- 
dier—General Scott,  and  his  Victories 15 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Ordered  to  Mexico — Landing  at  Vera  Cruz — The  March  from  the  Coast — 
Guerrilla  Fighting — Capture  of  the  National  Bridge — March  to  Puebla 
— Junction  of  General  Pierce's  Column  with  the  Force  under  General 
Scott — A  Forward  Movement — Active  Service— Lieutenant  Hancock's 
First  Engagement — Battles  of  San  Antonio  and  Churubusco — Promo- 
tion of  Lieutenant  Hancock — Gallant  Cavalry  Charge — Phil  Kearney 


Vi  CONTENTS. 

Loses  his  Arm — An  Armistice — Attack  on  Molino  Del  Key — The  Castle 
of  Chapultepec — Assault  on  the  Fortifications — Capture  of  the  Castle 
— Evacuation  of  the  Mexican  Army  and  Entrance  of  the  American 
Forces  into  the  City  of  Mexico — Occupation  of  the  Capital — Treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo — The  End  of  the  War,  and  the  Evacuation  of  the 
City  of  Mexico  by  the  Americans — Departure  from  Vera  Cruz — Lieu- 
tenant Hancock  ordered  to  Prairie  du  Chien — Leave  of  Absence  and 
Return  to  Pennsylvania PAGE  21 

CHAPTER  V. 

After  the  Mexican  War — The  Return  Home — A  Warm  Reception — Flatter- 
ing Testimonial  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature — Ordered  to  St.  Louis 
— Joins  the  Sixth  Infantry — Appointed  Quartermaster — Commissioned 
Captain — Ordered  to  Florida — Seminole  War — Outbreak  in  Kansas — 
Mormon  Difficulties — Return  to  Fort  Bridger — Expedition  to  Benicia, 
California — Leave  of  Absence  and  Return  East — Ordered  to  Los  An- 
geles, Southern  California — In  Charge  of  the  Military  Depot — 1 860-'61 : 
Outbreak  of  the  Rebellion — Excitement  at  Los  Angeles — A  "  Pacific 
Republic"  Suggested — A  Fourth  of  July  Celebration — Captain  Han- 
cock's Patriotic  Speech — He  suppresses  the  Impending  Insurrection — 
Asks  to  be  Sent  on  Active  Service — Is  Ordered  to  the  East — Lands  at 
New  York,  and  reports  for  Duty  at  Washington  ....  82 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Ordered  to  the  Quartermaster's  Department — Commissioned  Brigadier- 
General  and  sent  to  the  Front — Preparation  of  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac— Occupations  of  the  Winter  of  1861-'2 — Drilling  the  Men — 
General  Hancock  as  a  Disciplinarian— His  Standing  with  his  Soldiers 
— Grand  Review  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — Beginning  of  the 
March  on  Richmond — Skirmishes  and  Reconnoissances — Battle  of 
Williamsburg — The  Brigade  wins  its  First  Colors — General  Hancock 
commended  in  the  Official  Report — "  Hancock  was  Superb  To-day  " 
— Movement  to  the  Peninsula  along  the  Chickahominy — Battles  of 
Gaines's  Mill  and  Garnett's  Hill — The  Change  of  Base  to  the  James — 
Retreat  of  the  "  Seven  Days  " — Battle  of  Savage  Station — Arrival  at 
Harrison's  Landing — Up  the  Potomac 48 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Movement  from  Harrison's  Landing  to  Acquia  Creek  and  Alexandria,  to 
join  General  Pope — Hancock's  Brigade  at  Centreville — Defeat  and 


CONTENTS.  vii 

Demoralization  of  Pope's  Array — The  Capital  in  Danger — General 
McClellan  placed  in  Command  of  the  Defenses  around  Washington — 
Battle  of  Antietam— General  Hancock  made  Commander  of  the  First 
Division,  Second  Army  Corps,  on  the  Field  of  Battle — Loss  at  Antietam 
— The  Army  delayed  by  the  Want  of  Clothing  and  Supplies  .  PAGE  60 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Encampment  of  the  Second  Corps — Harper's  Ferry  Reconnoissance,  and  Skir- 
mishing at  Charlestown — March  to  the  Rappahannock — Final  Removal 
of  General  McClellan — Replaced  by  General  Burnside — The  Army 
before  Fredericksburg — Waiting  for  Pontoons — Battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg— Gallant  Assault  on  Marye's  Heights  by  Hancock's  Division — 
Repulse  of  the  Union  Forces — Retreat  across  the  Rappahannock — 
Losses  in  General  Hancock's  Division— The  "  Mud  March  " — Removal 
of  General  Burnside — General  Joseph  Hooker  in  Command — In  Win- 
ter Quarters ...  68 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Reorganization  of  the  Army— The  New  Battle-field — Position  of  Lee's 
Army— General  Hooker's  Plan— The  Battle  of  Chancellorville— Part 
borne  by  General  Hancock — Heavy  Engagement  on  May  2d  and  3d — 
General  Hooker  rendered  Insensible  by  a  Spent  Shot — Gallant  Con- 
duct of  Colonel  N.  A.  Miles — Withdrawal  of  the  Union  Army — Han- 
cock placed  in  Command  of  the  Secqnd  Army  Corps — Lee  moves 
Northward,  crosses  the  Potomac  from  Western  Maryland  into  Penn- 
sylvania— Movements  of  Hooker's  Army — General  Hooker  relieved 
by  Major-General  George  G.  Meade — Concentration  of  the  Opposing 
Armies  at  Gettysburg 76 

CHAPTER  X. 

Movements  of  the  Second  Army  Corps — March  by  Acquia  Creek  and  Dum- 
fries to  Centreville — General  Meade's  Headquarters  at  Taneytown — 
Interview  between  Generals  Meade  and  Hancock — Death  of  General 
Reynolds — Hancock  ordered  to  the  Front  in  Command  of  the  First, 
Third,  and  Eleventh  Corps — Copy  of  General  Meade's  Order — Directed 
to  select  the  Battle  Ground— Appoints  the  Field  of  Gettysburg  .  85 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Gettysburg — Disposition  of  the  Army — General  Sickles  engaged— The 
Third  Corps  repulsed  and  reenforced— General  Sickles  disabled — His 


viii  CONTENTS. 

Troops  placed  under  the  Command  of  Hancock — Our  Line  strengthened 
by  Doubleday's  Division  and  a  Portion  of  the  First  Corps — The  Enemy 
advancing  all  along  the  Line — Heavy  Fighting — General  Hancock 
reenforccd  by  Part  of  Lockwood's  Brigade — Gallant  Charge  of  the 
First  Minnesota,  and  Capture  of  Rebel  Colors — Caldwell's  Division — . 
Losses  of  the  First  Division,  Second  Army  Corps — The  Brave  Fifth 
New  Hampshire — Night  of  the  2d  of  July  .  .  .  PAGE  93 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Gettysburg — Council  of  War — The  Last  Day;  July  3d — Heavy  Artillery 
Firing — General  Hancock  and  Staff  ride  along  the  Line  of  Battle,  under 
a  Heavy  Fire — Advance  of  the  Enemy's  Line — Gallant  Bearing  of  Gen- 
eral Hancock — Fierce  Attack  by  the  Rebel  Infantry,  18,000  strong— 
The  Battle  wavers — Desperate  Fighting  in  All  Directions — The  Enemy 
repulsed — General  Hancock  shot  from  his  Horse — Message  to  General 
Meade,  "  We  have  gained  a  Great  Victory  " — The  Commander-in-Chief 
thanks  General  Hancock  "  in  the  Name  of  the  Country  and  for  Myself 
for  the  Service  he  has  done  this  Day  " — General  Hancock  carried  from 
the  Field — He  is  removed  to  his  Father's  House  at  Norristown,  Penn- 
sylvania   103 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Gettysburg — Summing  Up — General  Lee's  Intention  to  renew  the  Battle 
— Retreat  of  the  Confederate  Army — Killed  and  Wounded — Incidents 
of  the  Battle  by  an  Eye-witness — Splendid  Action  of  Hancock  and 
his  Staff — Longstreet's  Advance — Magnificent  Courage  of  the  South- 
erners—The Philadelphia  Brigade — Death  of  the  Confederate  General 
Armistead — General  Hancock  the  Savior  of  Gettysburg  .  .113 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

General  Hancock's  Progress  to  Norrist®wn — Popular  Demonstrations  on  the 
Road — Reception  at  Home— Presentation  of  a  Service  of  Plate  to  Gen- 
eral Hancock — His  Convalescence— Joins  his  Family  at  Longwood,  near 
St.  Louis — Reports  for  Duty  at  Washington,  December  15,  1863 — Re- 
turns to  his  Command  of  the  Second  Army  Corps — General  Grant  is 
appointed  General-in-Chief  of  the  Armies,  and  takes  Immediate  Com- 
mand of  the  Forces  in  Virginia — Reconstruction  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac — General  Hancock  ordered  North  on  Recruiting  Service — 
Grand  Review  by  General  Grant  of  the  Second  Corps  (30,000  Men)— 
Situation  of  the  Confederate  Army— Campaign  of  1864— The  "  Wilder- 
»  120 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Wilderness — Crossing  the  Rapidan — The  Enemy  in  Force — Forming 
the  Line  of  Battle — Attack  of  the  Second  Corps — Close  Quarters  in  the 
Woods — Nightfall,  and  Cessation  of  Fighting — Brigadier-General  Hays 
killed— A  Serious  Loss PAGE  130 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Wilderness — Second  Day  of  the  Fight — Hancock  ordered  to  attack — 
His  Preparations — The  Battle  opens — The  Enemy  driven  back  at  all 
Points — Hancock's  Corps  reenforced  by  one  Division  of  the  Ninth  Corps 
— Burnside  comes  up  —  Sheridan's  Cavalry  attack  Longstreet  —  A 
Blunder — Convalescent  Union  Soldiers  mistaken  for  Confederates — 
Longstreet's  Assault  in  Force— Our  Left  broken — Retirement  of  the 
Union  Forces — Our  Breastworks  captured  and  retaken — Conflagration 
— The  Union  Forces  retire  toward  Spottsylvania  Court-House  .  137 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

Battle  of  the  Wilderness — General  Hancock's  Report — Difficulties  of  the 
Situation — Anticipated  Movements  not  executed — Complimentary  Ref- 
erence to  Officers  of  his  Corps  —  Splendid  Testimonial  to  Generals 
Hays  and  Wadsworth — A  Brave  Young  Massachusetts  Officer — Tabu- 
lated Statement  of  Losses  in  the  Second  Corps — General  Hancock  in 
Command  of  Sixty  Thousand  Men 147 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Spottsylvania  Court-house — Advance  of  the  Union  Army — Lee's  Movements 
— Attack  on  Warren's  Column— ^The  Latter  retires,  and  the  Soldiers 
sleep  on  their  Arms — Hancock's  Corpse-Splendid  Morale  of  the  Men 
— Death  of  General  Sedgwick — Killed  by  a  Sharpshooter — General 
Hancock's  Official  Report  of  the  Battle — Desperate  Fighting — The 
Woods  on  Fire — Sharp  Repulse  of  the  Union  Army  .  .  .154 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Spottsylvania  Court-house — The  Second  Corps  ordered  to  attack — A  Night 
March — Forming  the  Line  of  Battle — The  Attack  on  the  Enemy's  Pick- 
ets— Charging  the  Intrenchments  —  The  Irish  Brigade  —  The  Entire 
Enemy's  Line  carried  by  Assault  —  Splendid  Victory— Rebel  Losses — 
Anecdote  of  the  Capture  of  the  Rebel  General  George  Stuart — The 
Enemy  reenforced — Their  Desperate  Efforts  to  recapture  their  Line — 
General  Egan  "  holding  the  Fort " 169 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Spottsylvania  Court-house — Second  Line  of  Intrenehments — Gallantry  of 
Colonel  Carroll— The  Fighting  renewed  on  the  18th — Ewell  retreat- 
ing— General  Hancock's  Report — Losses  of  the  Second  Corps  during 
the  Campaign — General  Hancock  commends  his  Subordinate  Officers — 
Summary PAGE  181 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  March  to  Bowling  Green — Crossing  the  Mattapony  at  the  North  Anna — , 
Taking  Position — Throwing  up  Breastworks — Gallant  Charge  by  Egan's 
and  Pierce's  Brigades,  Birney's  Division — Crossing  the  North  Anna — 
Strong  Position  of  the  Enemy — March  from  the  North  Anna  to  the 
Pamunky — Cavalry  Engagement — Harassing  the  Enemy — Tolopotomy 
Creek — Ordered  to  Cold  Harbor 189 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Cold  Harbor — Formation  of  the  Second  Corps — The  Assault — General 
Brooke  seriously  wounded — General  McKeen  killed — The  Attack  re- 
pulsed by  the  Enemy — General  Grant  on  the  Battle-field — An  Histori- 
cal Error  corrected — The  Discipline  and  Loyalty  of  the  Second  Corps — 
A  Flag  of  Truce  and  Cessation  of  Hostilities — Horrible  Sufferings  of 
the  Wounded  between  the  Lines — Siege  Operations — Frightful  Losses 
of  the  Second  Corps — The  Movement  to  the  James  River  .  .  199 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Change  of  Base — Crossing  the  James — Ordered  to  Petersburg — A 
Chapter  of  Accidents — Blind  Guides — General  Grant's  Order — Opera- 
tions in  Front  of  Petersburg — The  Assault — Gallant  Conduct  of  Gen- 
eral Barlow— Death  of  Colonel  Kelly  (Eighty-eighth  New  York  Volun- 
teers), commanding  the  Irish  Brigade — General  Hancock  disabled 
by  his  Old  Wound — He  relinquishes  his  Command  to  Major-General 
Birney 209 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Petersburg — General  Birney  in  Command — Persistent  but  Futile  Attempts 
to  carry  the  Enemy's  Lines — The  Assault  abandoned — The  Union 
Army  fortifies  its  Position — Threatening  the  Weldon  Road — Capture  of 
a  Second  Corps  Battery — The  Men  dispirited — General  Hancock  re- 
sumes his  Command — General  Order  No.  22 — General  Birney  takes 
command  of  the  Tenth  Corps — Losses  of  the  Second  Corps  from  the 
Crossing  of  the  James  to  July  26th,  1864  .  .  •  .  .222 


CONTENTS.  xi 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Petersburg — The  Enemy's  Defenses — A  Siege  undertaken— Construction  of 
Earthworks— An  Unfortunate  Mining  Experiment — General  Hancock's 
Expedition  to  destroy  the  Railroads  north  of  Richmond — Combined 
Operations  of  Infantry  and  Cavalry  at  Deep  Bottom — Gallant  Charge 
of  Sheridan's  Cavalry — Hancock  returns  with  his  Command  to  Peters- 
burg  PAGE  231 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Deep  Bottom  again — The  Corps  dispirited — Obstacles  to  the  Expedition — 
Spirited  Attack  by  Terry's  Division — Our  Troops  assaulted  in  Turn, 
and  driven  from  their  Works — General  Gregg's  Brilliant  Action  at 
Deep  Creek— Near  Approach  to  Richmond — A  Flag  of  Truce — Re- 
turn of  Hancock's  Command  to  Petersburg — Result  of  the  Expedition 
—Cutting  the  Weldon  Railroad—The  Second  Corps  in  the  Advance- 
Occupying  the  Old  Works  at  Ream's  Station— Approach  of  the  Enemy 
in  Force  ,  239 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Ream's  Station — General  Hancock's  Preparations  for  the  Fight — Attack  on 
the  Works — Capture  of  two  Union  Batteries  by  the  Enemy — Demoral- 
ization of  our  Men — Raw  Recruits,  Substitutes,  and  "  Three-months' " 
Men — General  Hancock's  Horse  shot  under  Him — Perilous  State  of 
Affairs — A  Battery  recaptured — The  Enemy  driven  back  by  Miles — 
Complete  Demoralization  of  Gibbon's  Division — Depression  of  General 
Hancock — Withdrawal  of  the  Union  Army  ....  247 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Battle  of  Boydton  Road— Hampton's  "Beef"  Raid— Movement  on  the 
South  Side  Railroad — General  Grant's  Orders — Grant  and  Meade  on 
the  Field — The  Enemy  open  Fire — Sharp  Artillery  Practice — Attack  by 
the  Enemy  in  Force — Repulse  of  Pierce's  Brigade — A  Dangerous  Situ- 
ation— Masterly  Movement  by  General  Hancock — Brilliant  Defeat  of 
the  Enemy — Savage  Flank  Attack  by  Wade  Hampton's  Cavalry — No 
Reinforcements — Short  of  Ammunition — General  Hancock's  Embar- 
rassing Situation — He  concludes  to  withdraw — General  Hancock's  Re- 
port— Return  to  Petersburg 252 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Hancock's  Last  Battle  with  the  Second  Corps— His  Popularity  with  his  Men 
— Retrospective — General  Hancock  directed  to  raise  a  Corps  of  Veter- 
ans— He  Relinquishes  his  Command,  and  names  his  Successor — His 
parting  General  Order  No.  44 — Order  of  General  Humphreys  on  as- 
suming Command — General  Hancock  ordered  to  Winchester,  Va.,  to 
take  Command  of  the  Middle  Military  Division—Assassination  of  Pres~ 
ident  Lincoln — General  Hancock  ordered  to  Washington — He  is 
charged  with  the  Security  of  the  Capital — Lieutenant-General  Grant's 
Official  Report— The  case  of  Mrs.  Surratt  .  .  .  PAGE  265 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

After  the  War — Middle  Military  Department — Headquarters  at  Baltimore 
— General  Hancock  transferred  to  the  Department  of  Missouri — Indian 
Troubles — General  Hancock  and  the  Cheyennes — Indian  Ti'eachery  and 
its  Punishment — General  Hancock  appointed  to  the  Command  of  the 
Fifth  Military  District — He  proceeds  to  New  Orleans — The  Reconstruc- 
tion Acts— Order  No.  40 ,  .  278 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Fifth  Military  District — General  Hancock's  Powers — President  Lincoln's 
Theory  of  Reconstruction — Flattering  Recognition  of  Order  No.  40 — 
Internal  Questions  in  Louisiana  and  Texas — General  Hancock's  Treat- 
ment of  them — Extracts  from  his  Orders  while  in  New  Orleans — Gen- 
eral Hancock's  Course  obnoxious  to  the  Radicals — They  determine  on 
his  Removal — James  A.  Garfield's  Bill  reducing  the  Number  of  Major- 
Generals — Petty  Annoyances — General  Hancock  applies  to  be  Relieved 
—Relieved  of  his  Command  March  18,  1868  ,  ,  .  t  295 

CHAPTER  XXXII, 

New  Orleans — The  Pease  Correspondence — Message  of  President  Johnson 
to  both  Houses  of  Congress — Letter  of  General  Hancock  on  the  Freed; 
men's  Bureau — Commendatory  Article  in  the  "  Southern  Review"  310 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Division  of  the  Atlantic — 1868 — Political  Campaign — General  Hancock  a 
Candidate  for  President — The  Glover  Correspondence — General  Han^ 
cock  relieved,  and  ordered  to  Dakota—The  Indian  Question — Attack  on 
the  Piegans — General  Hancock  again  appointed  to  the  Division  of  the 
Atlantic— Presidential  Election  of  1872— General  Hancock's  Name 
prominent,  t 333 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

Department  of  the  Atlantic — The  Babcock  Court  of  Inquiry—  General  Han- 
cock's Address — Presidential  Election  of  1876 — The  Disputed  Count — 
Popular  Excitement— The  "Sherman  Letter"  .  .  PAGE  342 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  Sherman-Hancock  Correspondence — Telegram  from  General  Sherman — 
General  Sherman's  Letter  of  December  4, 1876 — Hancock  to  Sherman  ; 
Leave  of  Absence — General  Sherman's  Letter  of  December  17,  1876: 
A  Newspaper  Story — General  Hancock's  Letter  from  Carondelet — Tele- 
gram :  Hancock  to  Sherman — General  Sherman's  Letter  of  January  2, 
1877  ;  Reply  to  the  Carondelet  Letter — Hancock  to  Sherman  :  Contem- 
plated Uprising — Hancock  to  Sherman — Hancock  to  the  Editor  of  the 
"  World  " — Hancock  to  Sherman :  the  Electoral  Commission — Sher- 
man to  Hancock  :  January  29,  1877 349 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

1877  —  Situation  of  the  Country  —  Great  Financial  Depression — Railroad 
Strikes— The  Army  employed  to  suppress  Rioting — General  Hancock 
directs  its  Movements — 1880 — The  Nominations  for  President — Cincin- 
nati Convention — General  Hancock  unanimously  nominated  the  Can- 
didate of  the  Democratic  Party — The  Platform — Speech  of  Hon.  Daniel 
Dougherty— General  Hancock's  Letter  of  Acceptance  .  .  .  368 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Conclusion — Anecdote  of  Mr.  Lincoln — An  Incident  of  Chancellorville — 
Hancock  as  a  Writer:  Testimony  of  General  James  B.  Steadman — 
Generals  Sherman  and  Sheridan  on  General  Hancock — Hon.  Amasa 
Cobb's  Opinion  of  Him — Magnificent  Tribute  by  a  Kansas  Lecturer — 
"  Hancock  " :  A  Poem,  by  Colonel  A.  J.  H.  Duganne — Dr.  Junkin  on 
General  Hancock's  Private  Character — Finis  ....  383 


ILLTJSTKATIOm 

BIRTHPLACE  OF  GENERAL  HANCOCK. 

HANCOCK  AT  WILLIAMSBURG.     "  GENTLEMEN,  CHARGE  !  " 

HANCOCK,  AT  ANTIETAM,  TAKING  COMMAND  OF  RICHARDSON'S  DIVISION. 

HANCOCK  AT  GETTYSBURG. 

GENERAL  HANCOCK  WOUNDED  AT  GETTYSBURG. 

GENERAL  HANCOCK  AT  SPOTTSYLVANIA. 

SrOTTSYLVANIA.    "LEE  TO  THE  REAR." 

COMMANDANT'S  RESIDENCE,  GOVERNOR'S  ISLAND. 

GENERAL  HANCOCK  AND  FAMILY. 


PLANS    OF    BATTLES 

PLAN — BATTLE  OF  BOYDTON  ROAD. 

PLAN  OF  THE  POSITIONS  AT  AND  NEAR  REAM'S  STATION,  AUGUST  25,  1864. 

BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE. 


LIFE 

OF 

WOTETELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  of  Hancock — His  Birthplace — Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania ;  its 
Scenes  and  Associations — The  Hancock  Family — Ancestry  and  Early 
History — Benjamin  F.  Hancock  and  his  Wife — Character  and  Charac- 
teristics of  the  Norristown  Justice — Elements  of  Family  Character — 
Family  Politics. 

THE  elasticity  of  the  American  system  of  government 
offers  advantages  to  the  sons  of  America,  possessed,  per- 
haps, by  those  of  no  other  country.  To  the  typical 
American — versatile  and  adaptable — all  things  are  possi- 
ble :  for  him  are  the  most  exalted  achievements  in  action 
and  in  fame.  Unrestricted  and  unbounded,  the  American 
character  would  appear  capable  of  grasping  success  in 
whatsoever  field  of  effort  it  enters  into ;  a  peculiarity  of 
our  people  which  has  long  been  the  admiration  and  the 
wonder  of  foreign  nations.  How  frequently  and  how 
peculiarly  is  this  comprehensiveness  of  capacity  exhibited 
may  be  seen  in  the  lives  of  rnost^  of  our  eminent  men  ; 
but,  perhaps,  in  the  history  of  none  has  this  profound, 
aspiring,  and  all-pervading  nature  been  better  illustrated 
than  in  that  of  the  eminent  hero  and  skilled  statesman, 
an  account  of  whose  life  is  herein  to  be  attempted, 
i 


2  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Winfield  Scott  Hancock  was  born  February  14, 1824, 
in  a  small  village  or  hamlet  in  Montgomery  County, 
Pennsylvania,  called  Montgomery  Square,  located  twelve 
miles  east  of  JSTorristown,  and  midway  between  that  vil- 
lage and  Doylstown,  the  county  seat  of  Bucks.  This  re- 
gion of  country  is  one  of  rare  beauty,  teeming  with  natu- 
ral wealth.  Bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Kittatinny  or 
Blue  Mountains,  on  the  east  by  the  Delaware  River,  on 
the  south  by  the  States  of  Delaware  and  Maryland,  and 
on  the  west  by  the  Susquehanna,  it  embraces  the  old 
counties  which  constituted  the  original  province  to  which 
was  given  the  name  of  the  illustrious  Penn.  Comprising 
a  scenery  varying  with  all  the  lavish  possibilities  of  na- 
ture, it  exhibits  rolling  hills  and  waving  plains,  stately 
mountains  and  smiling  valleys,  tall  gray  cliffs  and  deep 
ravines,  sparkling  brooks  and  noble  rivers — its  wooded 
ridges  and  fertile  plow-lands  presenting  to  the  eye  of  the 
tourist  a  succession  of  landscapes  marked  with  ever- 
changing  beauty  and  picturesqueness.  It  is  a  land  of 
rare  loveliness,  affording  to  its  industrious  and  thrifty 
inhabitants  beautiful,  healthful,  and  happy  homesteads, 
and  is  even  to-day  visited  by  thousands  of  travelers  as  a 
portion  of  the  country  especially  favored  in  its  landscape 
and  scenic  resources. 

The  County  of  Montgomery,  named  after  the  gallant 
and  accomplished  Irish  General  who  fell  while  leading  an 
assault  on  Quebec  in  the  early  period  of  the  Revolutionary 
struggle,  was  set  off  from  Philadelphia  County  in  1784. 
Within  its  bounds  were  located  some  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlements that  were  effected  by  Europeans  in  the  Middle 
States.  Indeed,  as  early  as  1640,  Swedes,  Hollanders, 
Welsh,  Germans,  and  English  had  sought  the  banks  of 
the  Delaware,  the  Schuylkill,  and  the  Neshaminy.  During 


HIS  ANCESTRY.  3 

the  Revolutionary  War,  this  section  of  the  country  became 
famous  for  its  historic  fields — Brandy  wine,  Paoli,  White 
Horse,  Germantown,  and  Yalley  Forge — while  the  forces 
both  of  Sir  William  Howe  and  General  Washington  en- 
camped upon  the  plains  of  Montgomery  County  and 
traversed  her  roads. 

Born  amid  such  surroundings,  and  within  the  memory 
of  such  associations,  Winfield  Scott  Hancock  came  of  Brit- 
ish ancestry,  his  father,  however,  Benjamin  Franklin  Han- 
cock, having  been  an  American,  born  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, October  19,  1800.  He  was  the  son  of  Richard 
Hancock  by  his  second  wife,  Ann  Maria  Nash,  who  was 
born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  1777.  Richard  and  Ann 
Maria  Hancock  were  married  in  Philadelphia.  They  had 
two  children,  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  father  of  General 
Hancock,  and  Sarah,  born  in  1802,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Henry  E.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  now  deceased.  Richard 
Hancock  had,  by  his  previous  marriage,  two  daughters, 
Eliza  and  Ann,  who  died  at  or  near  Philadelphia.  This 
Richard  Hancock,  grandfather  to  the  subject  of  our  biog- 
raphy, was  a  mariner,  who,  being  on  a  voyage  while  his 
son  Benjamin,  Winfield's  father,  was  quite  young,  was 
with  others  captured  by  the  British,  and,  under  pretext  of 
their  owing  allegiance  to  Great  Britain,  was  confined  in 
Dartmoor  prison,  and  did  not  return  to  America  for  sev- 
eral years.  This  occurred  in  1812,  when  2,500  impressed 
American  sailors  were  incarcerated  in  this  huge  jail, 
where  most  of  them  were  detained,  receiving  exception- 
ally harsh  treatment,  until  the  end  of  the  war.  The  Dart- 
moor prison  inclosure  occupied  an  area  of  thirty  acres, 
encircled  by  a  double  line  of  lofty  walls.  The  moor  it- 
self is  a  desolate  tract  of  land  in  Devonshire,  about 
150,000  acres  in  area,  alternately  swamp  and  barrens. 


4  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

It  is  possible  that  this  occurrence  may  account  in  part 
for  the  firm  adherence  of  the  Hancock  family  to  that 
party  in  politics  which  always  most  firmly  resisted  British 
aggression,  denied  the  right  claimed  by  Great  Britain  of 
searching  American  vessels  for  British  seamen,  and  which 
has  always  advocated  a  policy  distinctively  American.  The 
long  and  unjust  imprisonment  of  the  father  caused  the 
breaking  up  of  the  family.  His  son  Benjamin  was  reared 
by  John  Roberts,  Esq.,  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  residing  near  Montgomery  Square,  with  whom 
he  continued  to  live  until  his  marriage.  The  daughter, 
Sarah,  was,  at  a  later  period,  provided  with  a  home  in  the 
house  of  a  Mr.  Harper,  at  Providence,  in  the  same  county, 
where  she  remained  until  about  her  sixteenth  year,  when 
she  rejoined  her  brother,  with  whom  she  lived  until  she 
returned  to  Philadelphia  and  there  married.  Richard 
Hancock,  after  his  release,  returned  from  England,  but 
again  embarked  for  a  voyage  to  that  country,  and  died  of 
ship  fever  while  at  sea.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Benja- 
min, and  grandmother  of  Winfield,  died  about  1822,  a 
few  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband.  Benjamin  F. 
Hancock,  named,  of  course,  after  the  great  patriot,  states- 
man, and  philosopher,  was,  when  quite  a  young  man, 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  for  a  livelihood,  owing  to 
his  having  displeased  his  guardian  by  not  marrying  in  the 
Society  of  Friends.  In  order  to  support  himself  and 
wife,  he  resorted  to  teaching,  which  he  practiced  at 
Montgomery  Square,  and  also  for  a  time  in  the  northern 
part  of  Bucks  County.  While  thus  employed,  however, 
he  prosecuted  the  study  of  law,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Hon.  John  Freedley,  of  Norristown,  formerly  a  member 
of  Congress,  and  an  eminent  lawyer.  Mr.  Freedley  died, 
leaving  a  large  estate,  of  which  he  appointed  his  former 


THE   HANCOCK  FAMILY.  5 

student  one  of  the  executors,  thus  exhibiting  the  great 
confidence  he  felt  in  Mr.  Hancock.  The  latter  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  Montgomery  County  in  the  year 
1828,  about  which  time  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Norristown,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  being  at  that  time 
in  his  fourth  year. 

In  that  town,  now  a  city,  Benjamin  Hancock  continued 
in  the  diligent  practice  of  his  profession  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  1st  of  February,  1867,  in  the  67th 
year  of  his  age.  His  remains  lie  buried  in  the  Mont- 
gomery cemetery  at  Norristown.  He  left  to  survive  him 
a  widow  and  three  children  —  Major-General  "Wlnfield 
Scott  Hancock  and  Hilary  B.  Hancock,  twins,  and  John 
Hancock.  He  was  a  well-read,  judicious,  and  industrious 
lawyer.  His  opinions  were  always  held  in  high  respect, 
and,  being  patient  and  careful  in  his  investigations,  to 
these  opinions  when  formed  he  always  firmly  adhered. 
Of  calm,  equable  temper,  his  character  was  marked  by 
great  decision.  He  was  preeminently  a  just  man,  spe- 
cially qualified  for  the  bench,  and  often  spoken  of  in  that 
connection.  Nothing  but  his  modesty  and  the  absence  of 
a  self-seeking  spirit  prevented  his  reaching  high  judicial 
position.  In  his  early  years  at  the  bar  he  was  appointed 
District  Attorney  by  the  Governor  of  the  State,  but, 
although  he  served  also  in  several  other  official  capacities, 
it  was  always  without  effort  on  his  part  in  his  own 
interests. 

Both  he  and  his  wife  were  consistent  and  exemplary 
members  of  the  regular  Baptist  Church,  and  from  1842 
until  his  death  Benjamin  Hancock  was  a  deacon  of  the 
church,  besides  being  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

Of  Mr.  Hancock,  a  writer  in  the  Philadelphia  "  North 


6  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

American  "  of  February  2,  1867,  said :  "  Thus  has  passed 
away,  without  an  enemy,  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of 
Norristown.  For  more  than  forty  years  his  deeds  of  love 
and  charity  and  his  acts  of  benevolence  and  enterprise 
have  been  conspicuous,  and  have  endeared  him  to  the 
entire  community.  During  his  long  practice  at  the  bar, 
his  uniform  kindness,  his  modest  and  unassuming  man- 
ners, and  his  faithful  attention  to  the  interests  of  his 
clients,  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  brethren  at 
the  bar  and  the  judges  on  the  bench.  In  almost  every 
work  of  public  benefaction  of  his  town  he  was  an  active 
and  prominent  participant.  He  died  as  he  had  lived — a 
firm  believer  in  the  Christian  faith,  and  of  a  certain 
hope  in  immortality."  Mr.  Hancock  was  considered  by 
all  who  knew  him  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  a  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school,  a  thorough  Saxon  in  his  form  and 
fair  complexion,  six  feet  in  height,  and,  in  his  latter 
years,  portly,  erect  in  carriage,  dressing  with  elegance  and 
scrupulous  neatness,  his  entire  bearing  being  that  of  a 
gentleman,  his  kind  and  dignified  manners,  radiant  with 
Christian  benevolence,  causing  him  to  be  universally 
esteemed  and  admired. 

General  Hancock's  mother,  Elizabeth  Hoxworth,  was 
born,  in  Montgomery  County,  and  died  in  1879.  Her 
ancestry  was  English  and  "Welsh.  Her  father,  Edward 
Hoxworth,  was  born  in  Hatfield  township,  Montgomery 
County,  in  1760,  and  died  in  1847.  lie  descended  from 
a  long  line  of  Hawkesworths  (for  thus  the  name  was 
anciently  spelled),  one  of  whom  was  a  soldier  in  the  old 
French  and  Indian  wars,  and  captain  in  the  American 
patriot  army,  and  died  in  camp  in  1777.  Edward,  Gen- 
eral Hancock's  grandfather,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
whose  brother  was  an  officer  in  the  War  of  1812. 


FAMILY  POLITICS.  7 

From  these  brief  notices  of  the  ancestry  of  our  sub- 
ject, it  will  be  seen  that,  while  military  experience  char- 
acterized the  family  from  the  beginning,  the  warlike 
tendency  was  chastened  by  sincere  and  earnest  Christian 
belief  and  practice,  and  by  professional  labors  in  the  paths 
of  education  and  law-making.  From  such  roots,  struck 
firmly  and  deeply  into  the  ground  made  sacred  by  the 
blood  of  his  forefathers,  might  well  spring  forth  a  branch, 
combining  in  the  elements  of  its  growth  the  qualities  of 
firmness,  patriotism,  and  respect  for  law  and  order  for 
which  the  family  were  eminent. 

It  is  related  of  the  Hancock  family  that  its  political 
principles  were  always,^  especially  after  the  presidency  of 
John  Adams,  those  of  the  anti-Federal,  or  Democratic, 
party.  Benjamin  Hancock's  convictions  of  the  necessity 
for  a  strict  construction  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  were  very  decided,  so  that  the  subject  of  this  me- 
moir was  early  indoctrinated  into  the  Democratic  faith, 
and  strongly  impressed  with  its  importance  to  the  perpe- 
tuity of  the  Union  and  the  preservation  of  American 
liberty.  A  regard  for  personal  liberty,  freedom  of  speech, 
and  a  marked  spirit  of  adherence  to  the  right  of  local 
self-government  have  always  characterized  the  Hancock 
connection  from  the  beginning  of  its  history  in  America. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Early  Life — Home  Education — School  Days  at  the  Norristown  Academy — 
The  High  School  and  the  Literary  Society — Playing  Soldiers — The  Boy 
Orator  and  Lecturer— Character  of  Young  Hancock — His  Sense  of  Jus- 
tice— Anecdote  of  the  Young  Orphan  Boy — Extraordinary  Coincidence — 
Young  Hancock  turns  Printer. 

AT  the  time  of  the  birtli  of  the  twin  brothers,  Gen- 
eral Winfield  Scott  had  borne  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the 
then  recent  war  of  1812-' 15  as  to  make  him  one  of  the 
most  admired  of  American  soldiers,  and,  although  he  had 
not  yet  reached  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  his  name  was 
upon  every  tongue.  Mr.  Hancock  did  not  know  him 
personally,  but,  under  a  patriotic  impulse,  named  one  of 
his  boys  after  "Winfield  Scott,  and  the  venerable  Lieuten- 
ent-General  more  than  once  in  after  years  acknowledged 
the  compliment,  and  referred  in  terms  of  pride  and  com- 
mendation to  his  rising  namesake. 

Young  Hancock's  education  began  in  that  best  of  pri- 
mary schools,  the  Christian  family.  In  regard  to  this  he 
was  highly  favored.  His  father  had  been  a  teacher  be- 
fore "Winfield's  birth,  and  had  been  also  a  director  in  the 
new  public-school  system ;  but  now  to  his  experience  as 
an  instructor  was  added  the  tender  solicitude  of  a  father, 
stimulated  by  the  devout  piety  of  the  mother  of  his  boys. 
In  this  home-church  and  home-school  our  hero  received 
from  the  parents  whose  character  we  have  indicated  his 
first  lessons.  There  he  became  imbued  with  the  princi- 


EARLY  LIFE.  9 

pies  and  sentiments  on  which  was  established  as  on  a 
rock  the  character  of  the  future  leader  of  men. 

It  is  the  testimony  of  his  playmates  in  these  early 
days  that  he  was  at  all  times  a  patient,  cheerful,  courteous, 
truthful,  kind,  and  manly  boy.  Meanwhile,  he  was  a  boy 
among  boys,  taking  his  share  of  the  hard  knocks  and  pre- 
carious usage  of  the  playground,  but  holding  always — in  an 
honorable  and  manly  fashion — a  prominent  position  among 
his  school-mates.  Although  the  brothers  had  more  than 
ordinary  home  advantages,  Winfield  and  Hilary  were 
sent  in  early  boyhood  to  an  excellent  select  school.  ISTor- 
ristown  Academy,  then  established,  was  beautifully  situ- 
ated, with  spacious  grounds  around  it,  and  in  its  day  was 
esteemed  a  highly  respectable  seat  of  learning.  At  about 
this  period  the  public-school  system  was  inaugurated  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  high  school  in  that  system  became  so 
well  established,  under  competent  teachers,  that  it  soon 
superseded  the  old  academy,  and  became  the  alma  mater 
of  its  pupils.  The  teachers  in  both  of  these  schools  have 
placed  on  record  their  warm  affection  for  young  Hancock. 

Winfield  was  early  recognized  as  a  leader  among  his 
young  companions  in  all  the  manly  sports  and  enterprises 
of  boyhood.  Possessed  of  a  vigorous  physique,  excellent 
health,  and  fine  muscular  development,  he  seemed  chosen 
by  Nature  to  be  a  leader.  His  fondness  for  military  exer- 
cises was  early  remarked.  He  organized  a  military  com- 
pany among  his  school-mates,  being  chosen  their  captain 
by  acclamation.  "Winfield's  mother  is  said  to  have  con- 
tributed the  uniform  for  this  band  of  young  soldiers,  who, 
with  mimic  muskets  and  other  equipments,  presented 
quite  a  respectable  display,  as  they  paraded  the  streets, 
or  were  drilled  by  their  boy  commander  upon  the  court- 
house green.  A  drum  and  fife  stimulated  their  marching 


10  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

and  countermarching,  and,  as  they  followed  their  flag, 
their  soldierly  bearing  attracted  much  attention  and  many 
compliments.  Occasionally  their  toils  and  dangers  were 
rewarded  by  rations  of  dough-nuts  and  lemonade,  while 
the  orchards  and  chestnut  and  walnut  groves  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Norristown  frequently  bore  witness  to  the 
determined  raids  of  these  nascent  patriots.  It  has  been, 
however,  conceded  by  the  Norristown  farmers  that  the 
boy  foragers  were  quite  welcome  to  all  they  obtained, 
and  seldom  violated  the  rules  of  justice  and  propriety. 

The  peculiar  characteristic  of  young  Hancock,  which 
specially  rendered  him  popular  among  his  companions, 
was  a  certain  disinterested  manliness  of  disposition,  upon 
which  they  always  relied  to  induce  him  to  sacrifice  him- 
self in  defending  the  weak,  and  in  insuring  fair  play  to 
all.  Many  anecdotes  are  related  of  this  period  of  his  life, 
illustrating  his  truthful  nature  and  his  large-hearted  sense 
of  honor.  In  all  those  native  characteristics  which  most 
endear  a  lad  to  his  comrades,  young  Hancock  displayed 
clearly  that  "  the  boy  was  father  to  the  man."  Not  all 
his  spare  time,  however,  was  devoted  to  rough  sports  or 
imitation  military  exercises.  It  would  appear  that  he 
had  aspirations  in  other  directions,  and  it  is  specially  re- 
lated of  him,  as  also  of  his  brother,  that  the  two  collected 
quite  an  extensive  cabinet  of  mineralogical  and  geologi- 
cal specimens,  and  were  members  of  a  literary  and  scien- 
tific society  organized  in  the  high  school.  In  this  society 
experiments  were  made  in  chemistry  and  natural  phi- 
losophy— the  educational  facilities  of  the  school  embrac- 
ing most  of  the  branches  generally  taught  in  the  better 
class  of  academies  of  that  day. 

The  young  students  delivered  lectures  on  the  scien- 
tific subjects  named  and  other  topics,  which,  of  course, 


PLAYING  SOLDIERS.  U 

were  not  very  profound,  but  were  by  no  means  destitute 
of  real  merit.  Friends  of  the  scholars,  and  others  who 
chose  to  be  present,  were  admitted  as  auditors  and  specta- 
tors, and  it  is  clear  that,  in  all  of  these  more  intellectual 
exercises,  the  Hancock  boys  bore  their  share,  Winfield 
especially  being  in  demand  whenever  a  call  was  made  for 
special  energy  or  executive  tact. 

In  those  days  patriotism  ran  high  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  anniversary  of  the  Independence  of  our  country  was 
generally  celebrated  with  great  warmth  and  earnestness 
by  the  people  of  Norristown  and  vicinity.  The  ceremo- 
nial included  the  customary  firing  of  cannon,  the  ringing 
of  all  the  bells,  the  display  of  the  national  flag  in  promi- 
nent places,  the  parade  of  volunteer  soldiers,  both  adult 
and  juvenile,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  usual  demonstrations  in 
honor  of  the  day.  A  public  dinner,  accompanied  by  the 
reading  of  the  Declaration,  and  an  oration  and  appropriate 
toasts,  further  gratified  the  patriotic  proclivities  of  Nor- 
ristown.  In  all  of  these  festivities  and  ceremonies  young 
Hancock  took  a  deep  interest,  and  not  unfrequently  bore 
an  active  and  laborious  part.  His  home  guards  sometimes 
had  their  place  in  the  military  pageant,  and,  when  not  in 
command  of  his  company,  Winfield  generally  devoted 
himself  very  earnestly  to  the  care  of  the  little  cannon 
whose  noisy  exhibition  contributed  to  the  excitement  of 
the  day.  But  upon  one  of  these  occasions,  when  in  his 
fifteenth  year,  the  boy  received  a  marked  expression  of 
esteem  in  being  appointed  to  read  in  public  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  The  conclusion  of  this  experiment 
justified  his  selection.  Both  in  his  understanding  and  his 
enunciation  of  the  world-renowned  proclamation,  young 
Hancock  covered  himself  with  glory.  It  is  by  no  means 
designed  to  intimate  that  this  boy  was  in  any  sense  pre- 


12  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

cocious  or  a  prodigy,  but  the  whole  history  of  his  school 
days  and  early  life  presents  him  as  differing  from  others 
of  his  age,  in  being  less  inclined  to  frivolity  than  they, 
and  of  a  sedate  and  thoughtful  nature,  indicating  depth 
of  character  and  reflective  powers  beyond  his  years.  It 
was  doubtless  owing  to  his  home  training  that  he  de- 
veloped, at  an  earlier  period  than  is  usual,  features  of  char- 
acter which  caused  him  to  be  so  much  esteemed.  He  ex- 
hibited a  tendency  to  associate  rather  with  his  elders  than 
with  those  younger  than  himself  or  of  his  own  age,  and 
among  those  he  was  always  welcome,  his  attentive,  earnest, 
and  modest  demeanor,  and  his  character  of  being  a  good 
listener,  rendering  him  a  general  favorite.  Probably  it  was 
while  listening  to  the  discussions  of  the  intelligent  citizens 
of  his  section  of  the  country,  that  the  boy  gathered  the 
material  upon  which  were  based  the  opinions  which  be- 
came so  marked  and  emphatic  in  later  years.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  here  he  became  familiar  with  affairs,  with  the 
history  of  his  country,  and  with  political  principles. 
Thus,  between  sturdy  and  healthful  amusements  and 
thoroughly  enjoyable  intellectual  communion,  the  boy's 
school  days  passed  rapidly  away,  during  which  he  was 
steadily  developing  a  character  of  manly  firmness  and  a 
mind  marked  by  strong  good  sense  and  great  self-reliance, 
deliberate  judgment,  and  decided  convictions.  His  at- 
tainments in  useful  learning,  meanwhile,  if  not  brilliant, 
were  substantial,  thorough,  and  practical.  Naturally  kind 
and  generous,  there  was  also  manifest  in  his  character  a 
warm  sympathy  with  the  neglected  and  the  oppressed. 
An  instance  illustrating  this  phase  of  his  character  is 
related  in  a  little  memoir  called  "  Winfield,  the  Lawyer's 
Son."  When  young  Hancock  was  only  eleven  years  of 
age,  there  was  brought  to  Norristown  a  poor  orphan  boy, 


ANECDOTE  OF  THE  YOUNG  ORPHAN  BOY.  13 

whose  father  had  died  when  the  child  was  three  years 
old,  and  who  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  relative  of  his 
family.  This  boy,  two  years  the  junior  of  Winfield,  be- 
came his  playmate  and,  before  long,  his  friend.  It  would 
appear  that  the  little  orphan  was  much  neglected,  and  was 
often  tyrannized  over  by  his  larger  associates.  But  his 
young  friend  stood  by  him  and  took  his  part ;  if  need  be, 
employing  the  most  decided  measures  to  protect  him  from 
annoyance.  His  magnanimous  firmness  on  such  occasions 
was  generally  successful,  and  even  the  persecutors  them- 
selves respected  him  all  the  more  for  his  courage  and 
kindness  to  the  orphan.  Such  conduct  on  his  part  was 
so  evidently  based  on  a  strong  and  clear  sense  of  justice 
that  he  gradually  became  the  acknowledged  umpire  in 
the  disputes  which  frequently  arose  among  the  boys. 
When  all  means  had  been  employed  by  themselves  to 
reach  an  amicable  adjustment  of  their  difficulties,  the  cry 
would  be  raised,  "  Oh !  leave  it  to  Winfield ;  he'll  settle 
it."  This  being  done,  his  arbitration  was  almost  always 
deemed  satisfactory,  and  willingly  accepted. 

The  story  of  the  orphan  boy  and  his  champion  friend 
has  a  sequel  which  brings  it  justly  within  the  romance  of 
history.  The  boy  in  question  left  Norristown  at  an  early 
age  and  repaired  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  became  a 
journeyman  carpenter.  It  is  related  of  him  that,  when 
lie  crossed  Market  Street  bridge,  but  a  single  penny  re- 
mained in  his  pocket ;  but  he  was  intelligent  and  indus- 
trious, and  rose  rapidly,  and  eventually  he  acquired 
wealth  and  social  standing,  becoming,  in  the  course  of 
time,  a  member  of  the  City  Councils,  honored  and  trust- 
ed. Meanwhile  the  courageous  and  just  friend  of  his 
youthful  days  had  become  renowned  as  a  great  com- 
mander, and  had  obtained  high  rank  in  his  country's  ser- 


14;  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

vice.  It  devolved  upon  the  Councils  of  Philadelphia  to 
offer  a  series  of  resolutions  commending  the  patriotism, 
courage,  and  skill  of  Major-General  Winfield  Scott  Han- 
cock. These  resolutions — passed  unanimously  by  both 
branches  of  the  City  Councils — were  engrossed  and  sent 
to  Washington  (where  the  General  then  was),  in  charge 
of  a  committee  for  the  purpose  of  presentation.  The 
surprising  incident  in  this  history  exists  in  the  fact  that 
to  John  William  Everman,  the  abused  orphan  of  his 
school  days,  fell  the  honorable  duty  of  presenting  the 
resolutions  to  General  Hancock. 

Returning  from  this  digression,  we  have  to  note  an 
episode  in  the  early  history  of  young  Hancock,  which 
shows  that  even  at  this  period  the  versatility  of  his  char- 
acter had  begun  to  display  itself.  It  was  in  1835,  and 
an  election  for  governor  in  Pennsylvania  was  impending. 
There  chanced  to  be  a  split  in  the  Democratic  party,  and 
two  candidates  of  that  party  were  in  the  field.  The 
Democratic  organ  of  the  county  having  declared  for  one 
of  these,  a  number  of  prominent  citizens,  including  B.  F. 
Hancock,  established  a  rival  paper  advocating  the  election 
of  the  other.  Young  Winfield,  although  only  a  boy  of 
eleven  years,  at  once  took  a  lively  interest  both  in  the 
campaign  and  in  the  new  paper.  Printers  at  that  time 
were  hard  to  obtain,  and  so  it  happened  that,  when  school 
hours  permitted,  the  lad  turned  into  the  oifice,  and,  con 
amore,  helped  on  the  cause  by  setting  type,  distributing, 
or  even  working  the  press.  By  the  time  the  canvass 
was  concluded,  he  had  become  quite  a  printer,  besides 
having  acquired  considerable  interest  in  the  politics  of 
his  native  State. 


CHAPTER  III. 

West  Point — Young  Hancock  is  appointed  Cadet — His  Life  at  the  Military 
Academy — Course  of  General  Reading — Studying  Blackstone — Gradua- 
tion— Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  Sixth  Infantry — He  starts  for  the 
Frontier — Fort  Washita,  Indian  Territory — The  Mexican  Border — Com- 
missioned Second  Lieutenant — Rumors  of  War — Anxiety  for  Active  Ser- 
vice— Beginning  of  the  War  with  Mexico — The  Impatient  Young  Sol- 
dier— General  Scott,  and  his  Victories. 

IN  1840,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  young  Hancock  en- 
tered the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  having  ob- 
tained his  cadetship  through  the  influence  of  Hon.  John 
B.  Sterigere,  a  lawyer,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of  Mont- 
gomery County,  who  had  represented  his  district  in  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Sterigere  was  a  man 
of  eccentric  temper  and  habits,  strong  in  his  friendships 
and  resentments,  but  possessing  great  adroitness  as  well 
as  energy  in  the  management  of  men  and  affairs.  He 
was  the  personal  and  political  friend  of  Mr.  Benjamin 
Hancock,  and,  having  observed  the  manly  bearing  as  well 
as  the  comprehensive  intelligence  of  his  friend's  son  Win- 
field,  he  voluntarily  caused  his  appointment.  To  West 
Point  accordingly  the  young  man  repaired,  entering  the 
Military  Academy  as  a  cadet  July  1,  1840.  He  passed 
the  examination  for  admission  respectably,  not  being  ex- 
traordinarily advanced  in  scholarship,  although  he  had 
studied  regularly  all  his  previous  life  and  had  read  a 
great  deal;  indeed,  he  once,  later  in  life,  expressed  to  a 


16  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

friend  the  opinion  that  he  entered  the  Academy  too  early. 
"  I  developed  late,"  was  his  remark,  "  and  at  sixteen  was 
too  much  of  a  boy,  too  full  of  life,  to  feel  the  importance 
of  hard  study.  It  would  have  been  better  if  I  had  not 
entered  until  I  was  eighteen."  In  fact,  he  has  frequently 
confessed  that  he  was  not  a  student  for  the  love  of  it. 
His  class  at  West  Point  at  first  numbered  about  one  hun- 
dred, but,  owing  to  the  failures  in  examinations  and  other 
causes,  it  became  reduced  by  the  end  of  the  first  year  to 
fifty-four,  and  ultimately  graduated  only  twenty-five. 

At  the  present  time  General  Hancock  is  himself  the 
only  surviving  member  of  his  class  in  the  active  service 
of  his  country.  Some  have  fallen  in  battle,  some  died, 
and  others,  for  other  reasons,  are  out  of  the  service.  But 
among  the  names  of  those  who  were  contemporaries  of 
Hancock  as  cadets  in  the  Academy  are  many  who  have 
since  become  by  their  achievements  and  reputation  emi- 
nent in  the  annals  of  the  country.  Such  are  Generals  U. 
S.  Grant,  George  B.  McClellan,  Franklin,  William  F. 
Smith,  J.  F.  Reynolds,  Rosecrans,  Lyon,  and  others  of 
the  Union  army ;  and  Longstreet,  Pickett,  E.  K.  Smith, 
and  Stonewall  Jackson,  who  distinguished  themselves  in 
the  Confederate  service. 

"With  regard  to  Hancock,  the  same  qualities  and  quali- 
fications which  had  made  him  popular  among  his  school- 
fellows and  friends  at  home  won  for  him  a  sustained  and 
similar  popularity  in  the  Academy,  and  which  did  not 
abate  during  his  entire  cadetship.  During  the  first  two 
years  of  his  life  in  the  institution,  his  habits  of  study 
appear  not  to  have  been  so  close  and  assiduous  as  they 
became  during  the  last  two.  Then  he  steadily  advanced 
upon  his  previous  standing,  and  would  have  graduated 
higher  than  he  did,  had  it  not  been  from  the  fact  of  his 


COURSE  OF  GENERAL  READING.          17 

having  been  less  atttentive  to  his  work  in  the  begin- 
ning. 

The  code  of  discipline  at  West  Point  is  very  severe, 
and  demerits  are  incurred  on  the  slightest  violation  of 
this,  and  for  acts  of  neglect  or  carelessness  which  would 
pass  without  notice  in  any  ordinary  educational  institution. 

The  early  age  at  which  young  Hancock  entered — his 
mind  not  being  yet  fully  formed,  or  cast  in  the  mold  of 
earnestness  which  afterward  characterized  it — militated 
greatly,  during  his  first  two  years  in  the  Academy,  against 
that  understanding  of  the  value  of  strict  discipline  which 
is  there  necessary.  It  may,  however,  with  justice,  be 
assumed  of  him  that  his  rapid  advancement  during  his 
last  two  years  was  due  to  his  better  appreciation  of  the 
situation. 

During  his  academic  course  young  Hancock  attended 
considerably  to  general  reading,  and  he  relates,  himself, 
the  incident  of  his  father  having  presented  him  with  a 
copy  of  "Chitty's  Blackstone,"  accompanied  with  the 
expression  of  a  desire  that  he  should  read  it  and  re-read 
it.  He  fulfilled  his  father's  injunctions,  though  perhaps 
in  a  great  degree  from  a  sense  of  duty.  To  this  particular 
work  were  added  "  Kent's  Commentaries,"  and  others, 
chosen  from  the  library  at  West  Point,  of  a  similar  char- 
acter, and  to  this  course  of  reading  may  be  attributed, 
doubtless,  the  skill  and  readiness  which,  at  an  after  period 
of  his  life,  became  of  such  value  to  him  in  the  illustration 
of  important  questions  of  organic  law. 

Hancock  graduated  at  West  Point  on  June  30,  1844, 
being  breveted  second  lieutenant  in  the  Sixth  Infantry 
July  1,  1844.  While  young  Hancock  remained  a  cadet, 
General  Scott,  whose  name  he  bore,  had  frequently  visited 
the  Academy,  and  always  exhibited  a  warm  interest  in  his 


18  LIFE  OF  WIXFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

namesake.  At  the  time  of  the  latter's  graduation,  the  old 
general  asked  him  to  what  regiment  he  preferred  being 
assigned,  to  which  the  young  man  replied,  "The  one 
which  is  stationed  farthest  "West."  He  sought  such  ser- 
vice from  a  desire  to  see  the  distant  frontier,  to  roam  over 
its  prairies  and  through  its  passes  and  ravines,  and  to 
obtain  personal  knowledge  of  the  red  men.  Doubtless, 
also,  there  arose  before  him  visions  rather  of  sport  with 
the  shot-gun,  the  rifle,  and  the  rod,  than  encounters  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

The  company  to  which  he  was  assigned  was  stationed 
at  Fort  Towson,  in  the  Indian  country,  near  the  Red 
River,  on  the  border  of  Texas.  Another  station  of  this 
regiment  was  at  Fort  Washita,  ninety  miles  west  of  Fort 
Towson,  and  was  then  the  most  remote  station  on  our 
western  frontier — New  Mexico  and  California  not  having 
been  acquired,  and  the  boundary  then  being  the  100th  de- 
gree of  west  longitude.  The  other  companies  of  the  regi- 
ment were  stationed  on  the  Arkansas  River,  at  Forts  Smith 
and  Gibson,  and  General  Zach.  Taylor,  afterward  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  commanded  the  whole.  Al- 
though in  the  vicinity  of  the  hostile  Indians,  Hancock's 
first  field  of  service  was  chiefly  in  the  region  occupied  by 
the  half  -  civilized  Chickasaws,  Cherokees,  and  Creeks 
The  country  was  healthy  and  fertile,  partly  prairie  and 
partly  wooded,  and  well  watered.  It  afforded  a  fine  range 
for  the  sportsman,  and  our  young  soldier  and  his  compan- 
ions in  military  duty  made  frequent  excursions  into  the 
neighboring  country  of  Texas.  Time  passed  rapidly  in 
the  face  of  this  new  and  exhilarating  life,  and  on  June  18, 
1846,  Hancock  received  his  commission  as  second  lieu- 
tenant in  a  company  of  his  regiment  stationed  on  the 
frontier  of  Mexico,  where  the  difficulties,  which  afterward 


THE  IMPATIENT  YOUNG  SOLDIER.  19 

eventuated  in  the  Mexican  War,  had  already  commenced. 
The  commander  of  Fort  Washita,  deeming  Lieutenant 
Hancock's  services  necessary  at  that  post,  declined  to 
permit  him  to  join  his  company ;  and  it  was  not  until 
General  Scott,  in  passing  through  New  Orleans  on  his 
'way  to  Mexico,  had  heard  from  some  friend  of  Han- 
cock's that  he  was  thus  detained,  and  sent  peremptory 
orders  for  him  to  proceed  on  other  duty,  that  he  was 
allowed  to  depart.  He  was  ordered  first  to  report  at 
Newport  Barracks,  Kentucky,  thence  to  take  recruits  to 
Mexico.  But  before  the  execution  of  this  order  he  was 
sent  with  troops  to  the  Missouri  frontier,  and  was  after- 
ward stationed  at  Cincinnati  for  a  brief  period  as  an 
assistant  to  the  officer  who  conducted  the  mustering-in  of 
volunteers ;  and  it  was  not  until  after  repeated  applications 
to  his  superiors  and  to  the  War  Department  that  he  was 
permitted  to  proceed  to  Mexico.  Lieutenant  Hancock's 
anxiety  to  join  his  regiment  was  expressed  in  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  his  twin-brother : 

"  NEWPORT  BARRACKS,  KENTUCKY,  May  5,  1847. 

"  MY  DEAR  HILARY  :  I  was  exceedingly  glad  on  my 
arrival  here  to  find  two  long  and  interesting  letters  from 
you.  The  only  thing  that  grieves  me  is  that  I  can  not  go 
to  Mexico.  I  made  an  application  to-day  to  join  the  army 
going  to  the  front.  Whether  the  adjutant-general  will 
favor  it  or  not,  I  do  not  know,  but  I  think  it  doubtful.  I 
am  actively  engaged  as  assistant  superintendent  of  re- 
cruiting service  of  the  western  division,  and  acting  as 
assistant  inspector-general;  but,  though  my  services  are 
said  to  be  useful,  I  still  want  to  go  to  Mexico. 
"  Your  affectionate  brother, 

"  WlNFIELD." 


20  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Before  the  permission  he  craved  was  given,  the  bat- 
tles of  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Monterey,  and 
Buena  Yista  had  been  fought,  and  northern  Mexico  was 
held  by  our  army  of  occupation.  General  Scott  had 
effected  a  landing  at  Yera  Cruz,  had  bombarded  and  cap- 
tured that  city  with  its  fortresses,  and  was  on  the  march 
to  the  Mexican  capital ;  he  had  fought  and  won  the  battle 
of  Cerro  Gordo,  and  was  still  advancing  on  his  conquer- 
ing progress. 


CHAPTER  1Y. 

Ordered  to  Mexico — Landing  at  Vera  Cruz — The  March  from  the  Coast — 
Guerrilla  Fighting — Capture  of  the  National  Bridge — March  to  Puebla 
— Junction  of  General  Pierce's  Column  with  the  Force  under  General 
Scott — A  Forward  Movement — Active  Service — Lieutenant  Hancock's 
First  Engagement — Battles  of  San  Antonio  and  Churubusco — Promo- 
tion of  Lieutenant  Hancock — Gallant  Cavalry  Charge — Phil  Kearney 
Loses  his  Arm — An  Armistice — Attack  on  Molino  Del  Key — The  Castle 
of  Chapultepec — Assault  on  the  Fortifications — Capture  of  the  Castle 
— Evacuation  of  the  Mexican  Army  and  Entrance  of  the  American 
Forces  into  the  City  of  Mexico — Occupation  of  the  Capital — Treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo — The  End  of  the  War,  and  the  Evacuation  of  the 
City  of  Mexico  by  the  Americans — Departure  from  Vera  Cruz — Lieu- 
tenant Hancock  ordered  to  Prairie  du  Chien — Leave  of  Absence  and 
Return  to  Pennsylvania. 

AT  length  the  impatient  young  soldier  was  ordered 
forward.  The  troops  landed  at  Yera  Cruz  in  season 
to  join  General  Pierce's  column,  which  was  about  to 
march  to  reenforce  General  Scott  at  Puebla.  He  was 
assigned  to  duty  with  a  battalion  commanded  by  Colonel 
M.  L.  Bonham,  and  was  appointed  its  adjutant.  On  this 
march  there  was  no  extended  or  heavy  fighting,  but  fre- 
quent and  vexatious  skirmishes  with  the  Mexican  Guer- 
rillas brought  our  troops  under  fire,  and  that  of  a  more 
dangerous  character  often  than  would  have  been  the  case 
in  open  field-fighting.  The  chief  encounter  of  this  charac- 
ter was  had  at  the  National  Bridge,  which  the  Mexicans 
had  barricaded  and  held  against  our  forces ;  the  heights 


22  LIFE   OP  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

overlooking  the  bridge,  and  within  musket  range,  were 
occupied  by  the  enemy.  This  bridge — El  Puente  Nacio- 
nal — was  a  fine  stone  structure,  built  by  the  Spaniards 
on  the  national  road  from  Yera  Cruz  to  the  city  of  Mex- 
ico. It  had  only  a  low  stone  balustrade,  on  account  of 
which  our  troops  in  crossing  it  had  little  protection  from 
the  enemy's  fire.  Hancock  was  in  command  of  one  of  the 
companies  detailed  to  charge  and  capture  the  bridge,  and 
the  barricade  near  the  farther  end  of  it.  It  was  the  first 
action  in  which  he  had  immediate  prospect  of  being  under 
a  severe  fire.  In  fact,  so  sharp  and  galling  a  fire  was 
opened  upon  the  troops  from  the  heights  overlooking 
their  position  on  our  own  side  of  the  river,  that  it  became 
necessary  to  dislodge  the  firing  party  before  a  further  ad- 
vance, and  this  duty  fell  to  the  lot  of  Lieutenant  Han- 
cock's company.  The  movement  was  a  success,  and  im- 
mediately after  the  bridge  and  barricade  were  carried 
by  two  companies  under  Major  Holden. 

It  soon  became  known  that  the  enemy  had  reoccupied 
Cerro  Gordo,  a  few  miles  in  advance,  and  a  night  expe- 
dition was  sent  forward,  under  Colonel  Bonham,  to  dis- 
cover a  path  by  which  the  enemy's  rear  could  be  reached. 
Of  this  detachment  Lieutenant  Hancock  was  adjutant. 
The  night  was  dark  and  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  the 
ground  was  rugged  and  precipitous,  and,  to  add  to  the 
difficulties  of  the  situation,  the  guide  presently  lost  his 
way.  The  night  expedition  proved  a  failure,  but,  as  the 
enemy  made  no  serious  stand  at  Cerro  Gordo,  the  fact 
was  of  little  consequence. 

General  Pierce's  column  reached  Puebla  in  time  to 
join  the  army  of  General  Scott  in  its  advance  upon  the 
Mexican  capital.  Hancock  there  joined  his  regiment,  of 
which  he  was  the  junior  lieutenant.  The  army  of  inva- 


A  FORWARD  MOVEMENT.  23 

sion  began  its  march  on  the  8th  of  August.  It  pro- 
ceeded in  four  divisions,  marching  a  day  apart.  This 
was  a  hazardous  undertaking,  as  General  Scott's  force, 
counting  every  man,  numbered  but  10,738,  many  of  whom 
were  teamsters  and  non-combatants.  The  invading  col- 
umn numbered,  in  fact,  less  than  ten  thousand  available 
men.  Much  time  had  been  spent  at  Puebla,  though  this 
was  not  lost  time,  since  reinforcements  had  to  be  waited 
for,  supplies  collected,  and,  above  all,  the  men,  a  portion 
of  whom  were  volunteers  and  raw  recruits,  had  to  be 
drilled  to  prepare  them  for  effective  service. 

Fortunately,  the  commanding  general  had  the  move- 
ments of  his  little  army  under  his  entire*  control.  He 
was  too  distant  from  the  capital  of  his  country,  and  from 
impatient  civilians  and  a  clamorous  press,  to  be  badgered 
into  a  premature  advance,  such  as  he  reluctantly  con- 
sented to  fifteen  years  later,  and  which  was  so  ingloriously 
checked  at  Bull  Run.  General  Scott  wisely  got  his  gal- 
lant force  into  good  condition  before  pushing  into  the 
heart  of  the  enemy's  country,  with  a  hostile  population 
of  eight  millions  surrounding  him,  with  fortifications  in 
front,  and  a  force  of  three  times  his  number  opposing  his 
advance. 

It  was  a  sublime  sight,  the  advance  of  that  little  army 
amid  such  surroundings,  and  with  such  fearful  odds 
against  it.  But,  as  the  brave  old  General  Towson  once 
remarked — and  he  was  not  a  "West  Point  man — "  Many  of 
our  young  West  Point  lieutenants  are  fit  to  command 
armies." 

The  march  to  Mexico,  and  the  battles  and  the  assaults 
which  resulted  in  its  capture,  illustrated  the  advantage  of 
science  and  discipline  over  mere  force  and  numbers  in 
the  terrible  struggles  of  war. 


24:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

General  Hancock,  in  referring  to  this  march,  once  re- 
marked :  "  To  me  our  march  was  as  good  as  a  picnic,  and, 
although  conducted  with  care,  we  placed  no  pickets  ex- 
cept on  the  roads,  and  they  were  kept  by  details  of  com- 
panies or  detachments.  The  regimental  guards  were 
kept  up,  however,  and  we  felt  secure." 

Hancock  marched  on  foot  with  his  company  during 
this  campaign.  The  army  entered  the  beautiful  valley, 
in  which  the  city  of  Mexico  reposed,  on  the  southeast  side, 
probably  along  the  same  route  by  which  the  Spaniards 
under  Cortez  had  marched  three  centuries  before.  The 
city  is  almost  surrounded  by  beautiful  lakes,  which  add  to 
the  picturesqueness  and  magnificence  of  the  landscape. 
To  all,  and  especially  to  the  young  and  enthusiastic  officers 
of  the  army,  that  grand  panorama  must  have  proved  im- 
pressive and  interesting.  The  very  majesty  that  hangs 
over  its  history  previous  to  the  Spanish  conquest,  its  great 
antiquity,  its  subjection  by  the  Spaniards,  the  tragic  death 
of  the  unhappy  and  amiable  Montezuma  and  his  no  less 
unhappy  dynasty,  all  belong  to  the  romance  of  history, 
and  would  naturally  gather  around  the  valley  and  the 
beleaguered  city  an  intensity  of  thrilling  associations. 
But,  whatever  the  first  impression  the  scene  may  have 
produced  upon  the  minds  of  our  officers,  they  were  all 
soon  absorbed  in  the  stern  and  terrible  realities  of  war. 
Besides  the  less  important  collisions  connected  with  the 
capture  of  Mexico,  there  were  four  principal  battles: 
Contreras,  Churubusco,  Molino  Del  Eey,  and  Chapultepec. 
The  first  action  of  any  importance  in  which  Lieutenant 
Hancock  was  engaged  was  that  of  San  Antonio,  which 
preceded  the  battle  of  Churubusco,  the  latter  occurring  on 
the  20th  of  August,  1847,  at  a  locality  a  few  miles  nearer 
to  the  city  of  Mexico.  In  the  latter  conflict,  a  charge 


GALLANT  CAVALRY  CHARGE.  25 

was  made  upon  a  tete  depont,  in  which  the  commander  of 
Hancock's  company,  Hendrickson,  was  severely  wounded, 
and  the  command  of  the  company  devolved  upon  Lieu- 
tenant Hancock,  a  position  which  he  continued  to  hold 
until  his  wounded  commander  resumed  duty  after  the 
army  entered  the  city.  The  first  assault  along  the  main 
road  met  with  obstructions  caused  by  the  blowing  up  of 
the  enemy's  ammunition  wagons,  which,  owing  to  the 
rapid  advance  of  our  troops,  he  had  not  been  able  to  carry 
inside  of  the  lines.  The  deranged  battalion  was  again 
formed,  however,  and,  on  a  second  advance,  the  enemy's 
intrenchments  were  carried  by  companies  of  different 
regiments,  the  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Eighth  Infantry,  and 
artillery  regiments  acting  as  infantry.  Simultaneous  with 
this  advance,  attacks  were  made  upon  the  Church  by  the 
Third  Infantry  and  other  troops.  Meanwhile  Shields's 
brigade,  of  South  Carolina,  New  York,  and  other  troops 
attacked  the  enemy's  rear.  Captain  William  Hoffman 
was  the  commander  of  the  battalion  of  the  Sixth  Infantry 
at  the  culmination  of  this  attack,  Major  Bonneville,  of 
Astoria  reputation,  having  been  disabled  in  the  early  part 
of  the  engagement.  Lieutenant  Hancock's  company  was 
of  this  command. 

The  enemy's  position  at  Churubusco  having  been 
forced,  our  troops  promptly  advanced  upon  his  reserves, 
soon  driving  them  from  the  field.  This  fight  is  memor- 
able for  the  gallant  cavalry  charge  of  Generals  Harney 
and  Phil  Kearney,  in  which  the  latter  lost  his  arm. 

The  capture  of  Contreras  and  Clmrubusco  on  that  day 
left  two  other  strongly  fortified  points  before  the  city  could 
be  reached  from  the  south  side — Molino  del  Eey,  and  the 
seemingly  impregnable  castle  of  Chapultepec.  Contreras 
is  situated  nine  or  ten  miles  south  by  west  of  the  city  of 

2 


26  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Mexico  and  at  the  south  end  of  an  almost  impassable 
field  of  lava,  while  Churubusco  lies  north  of  this  field  on 
a  main  approach  to  the  city.  Molino  del  Rey  is  about 
three  miles  west  by  north  of  the  city ;  Chapultepec  one 
mile  nearer  to  it,  and  directly  between  the  two.  Prior  to 
the  "assault  on  Molino  del  Hey  an  effort  was  made  by 
the  Mexicans  to  obtain  terms  of  capitulation.  General 
Scott,  however,  having  rejected  all  terms  except  absolute 
surrender,  a  cessation  of  hostilities  was  agreed  upon,  to 
give  Santa  Anna  time  for  consideration.  Negotiations 
ensued,  which  protracted  the  armistice  until  the  7th  of 
September,  which  period  Santa  Anna  treacherously  em- 
ployed, contrary  to  stipulation,  in  increasing  his  strength. 
Scott  finally  terminated  the  armistice,  and  ordered  an 
assault  upon  Molino  del  Rey.  At  three  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  September  8,  1847,  Worth's  division,  with 
which  was  Hancock's  company,  advanced  upon  the  ene- 
my's batteries  and  strong  defenses  at  Molino  del  Rey. 
Before  dawn  two  twenty-four  pounders  were  placed  in 
position,  and  opened  at  short  range  upon  the  solid  walls 
of  the  defenses  of  that  stronghold.  At  first  there  was 
no  firing  in  response,  but  presently,  from  an  unexpected 
point,  grape  and  round  shot  poured  upon  the  assailing 
column.  Met  by  this  unlooked-for  attack,  the  column 
recoiled,  with  a  loss  of  eleven  officers  and  a  considerable 
number  of  men  killed  and  wounded,  while  an  attack  in 
some  force  was  made  by  the  Mexicans  from  within  the 
walls.  Reinforcements  being  rapidly  thrown  forward 
by  General  Worth,  the  position  temporarily  lost  was  re- 
taken, and  an  assault  was  made  iipon  the  enemy's  de- 
fenses, which  were  scaled  or  broken  through  by  the  in- 
furiated soldiers  with  their  bayonets.  While  some,  lifted 
by  their  comrades,  clambered  to  the  top  of  the  wall, 


ATTACK   ON  MOLING  DEL  KEY.  27 

others  battered  down  the  main  gate.  Door  after  door 
was  forced  by  the  intrepid  Americans,  and,  the  Mexicans 
being  driven  back,  a  white  flag  was  presently  raised  upon 
the  parapet  in  token  of  surrender.  When  it  is  consid- 
ered that  the  Mexican  force  greatly  outnumbered  ours, 
besides  being  intrenched  within  stone  walls,  and  that  the 
tire  from  the  castle  of  Chapultepec,  standing  just  north  of 
the  Molino,  raked  the  field  within  effective  cannon  range, 
it  is  to  be  conceded  that  this  was  one  of  the  sharpest  and 
most  successful  hand-to-hand  struggles  of  the  war.  The 
days  of  drums  and  fifes  have  passed :  France  even  has 
abolished  them.  But  when  Clarke's  brigade  and  the 
storming-party  under  Wright,  of  Worth's  division,  ad- 
vanced to  the  attack  in  the  foggy  morning,  on  a  smooth, 
descending  plain — the  drums  beat  patriotic  marches, 
while  not  a  gun  was  fired  until  the  line  of  battle  had 
reached  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy,  and  re- 
ceived his  fire  from  an  intrenched  position.  Our  troops 
moved  at  the  double-quick,  without  returning  the  fire, 
and  drove  them  out  of  their  intrenchments.  This  is 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  latest  instances  which  have  oc- 
curred on  this  continent  of  troops  advancing  in  line  of 
battle  to  meet  the  enemy  to  the  sound  of  music.  In  this 
attack  were  Longstreet,  Pickett,  Armistead,  E.  K.  Smith, 
Edward  Johnson,  Buckner,  Hancock,  and  many  others 
since  known  to  fame. 

Here  died  Martin  Scott,  the  man  to  whom  the  treed 
coon  said,  "  Don't  shoot !  If  you're  Martin  Scott,  I'll 
come  down."  lie  commanded  the  Fifth  Infantry.  The 
Sixth  was  commanded  by  Captain  William  Hoffman, 
owing  to  the  absence  of  Colonel  Mclntosh,  who  com- 
manded the  brigade,  Colonel  Clarke  being  sick. 

Taking  the  advanced  position  of  the  enemy — a  rifle- 


28  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

pit — our  troops  found  themselves  under  heavy  fire  from 
stone  walls  twenty  or  thirty  yards  away,  seemingly  an 
impregnable  position.  Occupying  this  spot  in  a  moment 
of  hesitancy,  they  laid  down,  and  commenced  firing  on 
the  enemy.  The  only  two  persons  observed  not  to  lie 
down  were  the  commanders  of  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  In- 
fantry, who  were  near  to  each  other,  and  between  the  two 
regiments.  It  was  certain  death  to  stand  up,  isolated, 
and  Captain  Hoffman,  representing  the  honor  of  the 
Fifth  Infantry,  said,  "  Major,  you  had  better  lie  down." 
To  which  the  officer  addressed  replied,  "  The  ball  was 
never  molded  to  kill  Martin  Scott."  In  a  second  he  was 
shot  through  the  heart,  fell,  rested  his  head  on  his  hat, 
handed  his  purse  to  Hoffman,  saying,  "  For  my  wife," 
and  expired.  Then  the  honor  of  the  Fifth  Infantry  per- 
mitted Major  Scott  to  lie  down.  It  is  to  be  recorded 
that,  in  the  reports  of  the  officers  in  command  during  this 
engagement,  the  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Hancock  is  hand- 
somely mentioned.  Hoffman's  report  says,  "Hancock 
behaved  in  the  handsomest  manner." 

In  this  battle  the  adjutant  was  killed,  and  Hancock 
was  appointed  in  his  place.  He  occupied  this  position 
but  a  brief  period,  however,  and  not  long  afterward  was 
breveted  first  lieutenant  "for  gallant  and  meritorious 
conduct  at  Contreras  and  Churubusco,"  his  brevet  dating 
from  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Churubusco,  August  20, 
1847.  Lieutenant  Hancock  was  now  placed  in  command 
of  a  company,  chiefly  composed  of  old  soldiers  of  the 
Florida  and  other  Indian  wars. 

It  is  a  notable  fact  in  the  history  of  this  battle,  as 
related  by  General  Hancock,  that,  when  the  enemy's  lines 
were  taken  at  Molino  del  Hey,  Lieutenant  Ulysses  S. 
Grant,  who  was  regimental  quartermaster  in  General 


THE   CASTLE   OF   CHAPULTEPEC.  29 

Garland's  brigade,  which  took  part  in  the  final  assault, 
said  to  the  General,  u  Now,  take  Chapultepec ! "  The 
immediate  capture  of  that  stronghold  was  not  in  accord 
with  General  Scott's  plans,  though  this  took  place  in  due 
course ;  but  the  incident  illustrates  General  Grant's  pre- 
science, even  at  this  early  period  in  his  career. 

There  still  remained  much  serious  work  to  be  ac- 
complished before  the  city  could  be  gained,  and  before 
even  the  safety  of  our  own  little  army  could  be  assured. 
Through  sickness  and  other  causes  General  Scott's  army 
had  been  reduced  to  a  little  over  six  thousand,  and  the 
slightest  error  or  failure  on  his  part  might  easily  have 
brought  the  Mexicans  upon  him  with  overwhelming  force. 
The  strong  castle  of  Chapultepec,  with  its  fortified  sur- 
roundings, was  to  be  taken,  and  after  that  a  barricaded 
causeway  and  other  complicated  defenses  must  be  assailed 
before  the  city  of  Mexico  could  be  reached.  It  was  skill- 
ful strategy  on  the  part  of  the  commanding  general,  and 
an  instance  of  rare  heroic  conduct  on  that  of  his  men, 
which  prevented  the  destruction  of  the  American  army 
and  rendered  it  victorious.  Cut  off  from  all  hope  of  re- 
enforcement,  removed  from  its  base  of  supplies,  victory 
or  destruction  seemed  the  only  alternatives. 

The  Mexicans  were  active  and  alert  in  the  defense. 
Men-,  women,  and  children  were  constantly  engaged  in 
strengthening  the  fortifications  of  their  beautiful  city, 
and  the  capture  could  only  be  completed  by  the  use  of 
the  utmost  skill,  science,  and  bravery.  But  it  was  ac- 
complished. Chapultepec  was  stormed  in  a  style  rarely 
equaled  in  the  history  of  wars  for  strategy,  cool  delibera- 
tion, and  elan.  Our  troops  advanced  along  the  cause- 
ways, over  which  extended  the  stone  aqueducts  which 
supplied  the  city  with  water,  until  they  reached  the  Gari- 


30  LIFE  OF   YTINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

tas  of  San  Cosme  and  Belen  wliicli  were  carried  by  as- 
sault—San Cosme  by  Worth's  command,  and  Belen  by  the 
troops  under  Quitman — and  by  nightfall  of  that  terrible 
day — the  13th  of  September — the  gates  were  won,  the 
enemy  driven  back,  and  the  city  of  the  Montezumas  was 
in  the  power  of  the  American  invaders.  The  resistance 
made  by  the  Mexicans  was  gallant  and  desperate.  After 
being  driven  from  their  outer  works  and  back  into  the 
streets  of  the  suburbs,  they  fired  upon  our  troops  from 
windows  and  from  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  nothing 
but  the  indomitable  courage  of  our  men  could  have  suc- 
ceeded in  the  face  of  such  resistance.  During  the  early 
part  of  the  night  of  the  13th  of  September,  Huger 
opened  upon  the  city  with  a  mortar  and  some  heavy  guns, 
and  soon  after  General  Santa  Anna  and  his  army  quiet- 
ly evacuated  Mexico  and  escaped.  Scott  ordered  Gen- 
erals Quitman  and  Worth  to  feel  their  way  slowly  into 
the  city,  which  was  done  at  considerable  peril,  as  the 
inhabitants  were  exasperated  and  desperate.  But,  on 
the  same  day,  the  14th,  a  deputation  of  the  city  au- 
thorities repaired  to  Worth's  headquarters,  whence  they 
were  sent  under  escort  to  General  Scott  at  Tacubaya. 
This  deputation  proposed  terms  of  capitulation  greatly 
favoring  the  city,  the  church,  and  the  citizens,  but  were 
assured  by  General  Scott  that  the  city  was  in  his  possession, 
and  no  terms  would  be  signed  ;  and  that  the  magnanimity 
of  a  conqueror  and  the  spirit  of  modern  civilization  alone 
would  dictate  the  course  he  would  pursue.  Meanwhile,  the 
American  flag  had  been  raised  upon  the  palace,  and,  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  day  last  named,  the  new 
conqueror  of  Mexico,  accompanied  by  his  staff  and  by 
other  officers,  rode  in  from  Tacubaya,  and  entered  the 
Grand  Plaza  of  the  city  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  army. 


LEAVE  OF  ABSENCE.  31 

"With  the  exception  of  a  brief  interval  of  service  with 
his  regiment  at  the  city  of  Toluca,  under  the  command 
of  General  Cadwalader,  Lieutenant  Hancock  remained 
with  the  troops  that  occupied  the  city  of  Mexico  until 
the  American  army  was  withdrawn.  He  was  among  the 
last  to  leave  the  city,  with  the  brigade  of  Worth's  divis- 
ion to  which  he  belonged,  after  having  transferred  the 
capital  to  the  Mexican  authorities,  lowered  our  flag,  and 
seen  that  of  Mexico  raised  over  the  National  Palace.  This 
was  in  1848,  in  which  year  the  treaty  of  peace  between 
the  two  countries  was  signed  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo.  So 
soon  as  this  was  ratified  at  Washington,  the  war  was  con- 
cluded, and  our  troops  withdrawn.  During  the  march 
from  Mexico  to  the  coast,  Lieutenant  Hancock  acted  as 
regimental  quartermaster  and  commissary  of  his  regiment. 
Embarking  on  transports,  the  division  proceeded  to  New 
Orleans,  and  thence  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  Missouri,  where 
it  remained  until  the  autumn  of  1848.  In  the  distribu- 
tion of  troops  made  that  fall,  Hancock's  regiment  was 
assigned  to  a  position  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  Hancock 
himself  going  to  Fort  Crawford,  Prairie  du  Chien,  where 
he  filled  the  position  of  quartermaster.  This  post  was 
the  regimental  headquarters,  and  here  he  continued  until 
the  spring  of  1849,  when  he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Snel- 
Ung,  Minnesota,  which  he  reached  in  May.  He  was  then 
granted  a  five  months'  leave  of  absence,  and  proceeded  to 
revisit  his  home  and  relations  in  Pennsylvania,  whence  he 
had  been  absent  five  years. 


CHAPTEE    Y. 

After  the  Mexican  War — The  Return  Home — A  Warm  Reception — Flatter- 
ing Testimonial  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature — Ordered  to  St.  Louis 
— Joins  the  Sixth  Infantry — Appointed  Quartermaster — Commissioned 
Captain — Ordered  to  Florida— Seminolc  War — Outbreak  in  Kansas — 
Mormon  Difficulties— Return  to  Fort  Bridger — Expedition  to  Benicia, 
California — Leave  of  Absence  and  Return  East — Ordered  to  Los  An- 
geles, Southern  California — In  Charge  of  the  Military  Depot — 1 860-'61 : 
Outbreak  of  the  Rebellion — Excitement  at  Los  Angeles — A  "  Pacific 
Republic"  Suggested — A  Fourth  of  July  Celebration — Captain  Han- 
cock's Patriotic  Speech — He  suppresses  the  Impending  Insurrection — 
Asks  to  be  Sent  on  Active  Service — Is  Ordered  to  the  East — Lands  at 
New  York,  and  reports  for  Duty  at  Washington. 

LIEUTENANT  HANCOCK  had  entered  into  the  Mexican 
"War  with  so  much  spirit  and  energy,  he  had  so  much  de- 
sired to  experience  active  service  in  the  profession  which 
he  had  chosen,  that,  although  his  acquaintance  with  actual 
warfare  was  but  a  slight  one,  it  probably  accomplished 
more  for  him  in  the  way  of  instruction,  as  well  as  of  en- 
couragement, than  usually  would  have  been  the  case  under 
such  circumstances.  His  experience  in  Mexico  may  be 
briefly  summed  up  as  follows  : 

He  fought  in  three  general  engagements  and  a  num- 
ber of  skirmishes,  was  slightly  wounded,  established  a 
reputation  as  a  brave  and  reliable  young  officer,  and  was 
promoted  for  gallantry  on  the  field  of  battle.  Already 
his  talent  for  organization  and  his  administrative  abilities 
had  attracted  attention,  in  so  far  that,  as  we  have  seen, 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  33 

he  had  been  appointed  to  act  as  quartermaster  and  com- 
missary on  the  return  from  Mexico ;  and,  to  add  to  the 
achievements  of  the  young  officer  in  his  brief  episode  of 
actual  warfare,  we  have  to  recount  the  fact  that  in  the 
reports  of  his  immediate  senior  officers,  he  was  specially 
commended.  He  was  also  particularly  named  in  the  re- 
port of  Major  Bonneville  as  to  the  part  borne  by  the  bat- 
talion commanded  by  the  latter  in  the  battle  of  Molino 
del  Key. 

Finally,  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  passed  a  series 
of  resolutions  complimentary  to  the  courage  and  general 
conduct  of  the  officers  and  men  from  that  State  during 
the  Mexican  War,  and  among  those  mentioned  the  name 
of  Hancock  appears. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1849  that  Lieutenant  Hancock 
took  advantage  of  his  leave  of  absence  to  revisit  the  home 
of  his  childhood.  Here  he  was  welcomed  with  all  the 
affection  and  cordiality  which  might  have  been  anticipated, 
not  only  the  tenderness  of  his  family  and  kindred  uniting 
in  this  display  of  regard,  but  his  townsmen  receiving  him 
with  respect  and  admiration.  They  were  proud  of  his 
rising  fame  and  glory,  and  gave  open  expression  to  their 
friendship  and  esteem. 

In  the  following  autumn  Lieutenant  Hancock  rejoined 
his  regiment,  to  which  he  had  been  appointed  adjutant, 
being  now  stationed  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  acting 
as  aide-de-camp  to  Brigadier-General  1ST.  S.  Clark,  already 
named,  who  commanded  the  military  department  em- 
bracing that  section  of  the  country  lying  between  the 
"  Indian  country  of  the  South  "  and  the  British  Posses- 
sions. The  duties  connected  with  a  service  of  this  nature 
require  chiefly  laborious  and  continuous  attention  to  the 
business  details  of  military  life,  and  were  of  rather  a 


34  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

routine  character,  giving  little  scope  for  adventure,  and 
supplying  less  material  for  glowing  account.  In^this  ser- 
vice, however,  Lieutenant  Hancock  undoubtedly  contrib- 
uted valuable  results.  Through  the  education  which  he 
had  already  received  in  the  different  lines  of  duty  involved 
in  his  profession,  he  was  being  unconsciously  trained  for 
the  higher  and  broader  field  of  command  for  which  he  was 
destined.  Particularly  was  it  the  case  that  he  now  be- 
came educated  in  that  very  important  branch  of  military 
labor — the  skillful,  accurate,  concise,  yet  full  and  scholarly 
preparation  of  reports  of  military  operations,  orders,  and 
all  that  class  of  writing  which  pertains  to  official  records, 
reports,  and  correspondence.  As  a  result,  it  is  a  fact  that 
the  young  officer  grew  to  be  exceptionally  qualified  in 
the  art  of  conveying  his  impressions  and  his  ideas  to 
paper,  gaining  that  degree  of  accuracy  in  the  determina- 
tion of  his  judgment  and  of  facility  in  expression,  which 
have  ever  since  stood  him  in  such  good  stead  in  the  many 
important  emergencies  of  his  life,  that  have  made  de- 
mands upon  precisely  that  talent  and  these  acquirements. 

Hereafter  it  will  be  shown  in  this  history  that  our 
hero  has  displayed  not  less  skill,  judgment,  and  sense 
of  the  proper  relations  of  things,  in  his  manner  of  wield- 
ing the  pen,  than  he  has  of  bravery  and  generalship  while 
using  his  sword. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1850,  Lieutenant  Hancock 
was  married  to  Miss  Almira  Russell,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Russell,  a  merchant  of  St.  Louis,  in  which  city  the  cere- 
mony took  place.  It  may  be  here  declared  that  the 
union  thus  formed  has  proved  one  of  the  happiest.  Mrs. 
Hancock,  besides  being  a  lady  of  acknowledged  personal 
charms,  has  proved  the  possession  of  sterling  good  sense 
and  of  many  accomplishments,  and  as  a  wife  and  mother 


APPOINTED   QUARTERMASTER.  35 

lias  nobly  sustained  the  high  and  delicate  claims  which 
have  devolved  upon  her  in  the  eminent  station  to  which 
she  has  been  called.  It  is  fully  recognized,  among  those 
who  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  her  acquaint- 
ance, that  she  has  cheered  and  adorned  her  home,  while, 
with  her  husband,  gracefully  dispensing  its  genial  and 
generous  hospitalities. 

Of  this  marriage  there  were  born  two  children  :  Rus- 
sell, named  after  his  maternal  grandfather,  now  living  at 
the  age  of  thirty,  and  Ada  Elizabeth,  born  February  24, 
1857,  and  who  died  March  18,  1875;  the  former  was  born 
in  St.  Louis,  the  latter  at  Fort  Myers,  Florida. 

On  November  7,  1855,  Lieutenant  Hancock  was  ap- 
pointed quartermaster  with  the  rank  of  captain,  and  was 
immediately  ordered  to  Florida.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
the  Florida  Indians,  the  Seminoles,  who  had  been  trouble- 
some for  some  years,  had  commenced  active  hostilities, 
and  a  force  of  United  States  soldiers  was  now  sent  to 
that  section  to  protect  the  whites.  Captain  Hancock  was 
stationed  at  Fort  Myers,  on  the  river  Calloosahatchee, 
and  became  engaged  in  supplying  troops  in  the  field. 
His  duties  here  were  unquestionably  arduous,  since  the 
frequent  changes  in  the  position  of  the  troops,  in  a  coun- 
try so  broken  and  impracticable  for  military  operations, 
demanded  the  most  constant  vigilance  and  judgment,  and 
no  little  fertility  of  resource  in  forwarding  supplies  to 
the  points  where  they  were  needed.  The  brave  and  ef- 
ficient General  Harney  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
United  States  forces,  and,  shortly  after  his  arrival,  Captain 
Hancock  had  under  his  direction  some  one  hundred  and 
fifty  boats,  varying  in  size  from  the  canoe  to  the  steamer, 
and  by  means  of  which  he  conveyed  his  supplies  to  the 
various  points  where  they  were  required. 


36  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Meanwhile,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  military  oper- 
ations in  Florida  against  the  Seminoles  were  exception- 
ally perplexing  and  difficult,  requiring  constant  watchful- 
ness, and,  of  course,  involving  in  frequent  danger  those 
who  had  charge  of  the  important  duty  connected  with  the 
supplies. 

Hardly  had  the  troubles  in  Florida  been  settled  wrhen 
there  commenced  that  series  of  agitations  which  gradually 
led  to  the  disorders  in  Kansas.  When  these  troubles  be- 
gan to  assume  a  serious  aspect,  General  Harney  was  trans- 
ferred to  that  department,  and,  upon  his  personal  appli- 
cation, Captain  Hancock  was  also  ordered  thither.  He 
joined  the  troops  at  Fort  Leavenw'orth,  where  he  remained 
from  August  1  to  December  31,  185T,  serving  in  the 
quartermaster's  department  with  the  efficiency  which  had 
now  become  recognized  as  a  part  of  his  character.  He 
continued  at  the  depot  from  January  1  to  March  31, 1858, 
when,  the  Kansas  troubles  being  over,  he  was  ordered  to 
accompany  General  Harney's  expedition  to  Utah,  where 
serious  complications  had  arisen  between  the  Mormons 
and  the  Gentiles. 

The  accession  of  California  as  one  of  the  results  of  the 
Mexican  "War,  and  the  stimulus  given  to  emigration  by 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  that  distant  region,  had  attracted 
a  wave  of  population  toward  the  Pacific,  and,  as  Utah 
lay  in  the  route,  the  emigrants  were  brought  in  contact 
with  the  Mormons,  who  began  to  manifest  hostility  to 
the  Gentiles,  and  even  to  assume  an  attitude  of  indepen- 
dence of  the  United  States  Government.  In  fact,  in 
the  beginning  of  1857,  Utah  Territory  was  in  a  state  of 
open  rebellion,  the  Mormons  trusting  to  the  mountain 
fastnesses,  which  lay  between  them  and  the  States,  as 
their  protection  against  that  national  authority  which  they 


MORMON  DIFFICULTIES.  37 

were  disposed  to  set  at  defiance.  It  was  so  eminently 
necessary  to  bring  this  people  into  subjection  to  the  Con- 
stitution and  laws  of  the  whole  country,  that  President 
Buchanan  took  summary  and  sufficient  measures  to  put 
down  the  unnatural  condition  which  existed.  Brevet 
Brigadier-General  Albert  S.  Johnston  was  sent  with  an 
advance  detachment,  and  General  Harney  followed  him 
with  a  reinforcement.  Among  the  latter,  Captain  Han- 
cock, still  on  duty  as  quartermaster,  proceeded,  adminis- 
tering his  department  so  effectually  as  to  greatly  con- 
tribute to  the  safety  and  comfort  of  the  troops. 

Fortunately  the  Utah  outbreak  was  not  long-lived,  and, 
it  having  been  disposed  of,  Captain  Hancock  was  ordered 
to  proceed  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Department  of 
Utah,  there  to  join  his  regiment,  the  Sixth  Infantry,  which 
was  expected  to  move  into  Oregon.  Accordingly  he 
transferred  the  public  property  in  his  charge  to  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  quartermaster's  department,  and  left  General 
Harney 's  command  at  Cotton  wood  Springs,  on  the  17th 
July,  1858,  in  company  with  Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  H. 
Grossman,  Deputy  Q.  M.  General,  and  Captain  J.  H. 
Simpson,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers,  and  an  escort 
of  sixteen  soldiers  of  the  Seventh  Infantry,  began  their 
journey.  A  march  of  twenty-seven  days  brought  the 
party  to  Fort  Bridger,  Utah,  709  miles  distant  from  the 
point  of  departure,  the  journey  having  been  accomplished 
in  twenty-six  days.  A  train  of  wagons  was  taken  along 
in  this  overland  journey,  with  teamsters,  extra  horses, 
etc.,  yet,  such  was  the  care  and  prudence  with  which  the 
march  was  conducted,  that  they  averaged  more  than 
twenty-six  miles  each  day.  At  Fort  Bridger  all  the  com- 
panies of  the  Sixth  Infantry  were  united,  for  the  first  time 
in  sixteen  years.  Captain  Hancock  immediately  reported 


38  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  UANCQCK. 

for  duty  to  Colonel  Andrews,  commanding,  and  was  at 
once  appointed  regimental  quartermaster. 

The  destination  of  the  regiment  was  now  changed  by 
General  Johnston,  who  had  discretionary  power  in  the 
premises,  to  Benicia,  California.  The  task  which  now 
devolved  upon  Captain  Hancock,  to  supply  means  for  the 
transportation  and  subsistence  for  the  expedition  on  its 
long  journey,  was  a  most  difficult  one.  Supplies  were 
limited,  the  animals  were  in  poor  condition,  and  the 
wagons  out  of  repair.  The  train  of  this  expedition,  when 
ready  for  the  start,  consisted  of  128  wagons,  5  ambulances, 
1  traveling  forge,  and  1,000  mules.  Harness,  saddles, 
and  other  various  appliances  had  to  be  repaired  and  in- 
spected ;  quartermasters'  stores  selected  and  packed ;  team- 
sters, herdsmen,  and  other  employes  hired.  The  entire 
business  of  organization  of  this  part  of  the  expedition  and 
its  inspection  being  the  duty  of  the  quartermaster,  it  will 
thus  be  readily  seen  that  the  position  was  no  sinecure ; 
added  to  all  of  which,  the  fact  of  the  season  being  far 
advanced,  rendered  it  doubtful  if  the  expedition  would 
succeed  in  crossing  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  without  encoun- 
tering the  terrible  snow-storms  which  occur  in  that  region. 
On  August  21st  the  expedition  was  in  motion. 

An  inspection  of  the  report  made  by  Captain  Hancock 
to  the  Quartermaster-General,  giving  all  the  details  of 
this  journey,  affords  one  sufficient  subject  for  amazement 
in  observing  the  degree  of  vigilance,  energy,  and  arduous 
toil  which  must  have  been  involved  in  its  progress.  Day 
and  night  it  was  incumbent  on  the  Quartermaster  to  ex- 
ercise constant  watchfulness  over  his  charge,  and  how  as- 
siduously this  duty  was  fulfilled,  is  determined  by  the 
fact  that,  on  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  at  Benicia,  its 
entire  belongings  were  delivered,  actually  in  an  improved 


RETURN   TO  FORT   BRIDGER.  39 

condition,  and  without  any  important  loss  or  accident 
whatsoever. 

An  examination  of  the  report  just  alluded  to  displays 
also  a  facility  and  comprehensive  knowledge  in  the  con- 
struction of  such  a  document  which  is  certainly  highly 
commendable  in  its  author.  Valuable  statistics ;  descrip- 
tions of  the  country  through  which  he  marched ;  a  map 
of  the  route ;  a  table  of  distances  taken  by  the  odometer, 
and  marking  geographical  points  and  dates ;  the  character 
of  the  wood,  water,  and  grass  found  in  each  locality,  with 
notes  affording  a  vast  amount  of  valuable  general  infor- 
mation concerning  the  geography,  botany,  and  the  other 
features  of  the  country — these  are  some  of  the  elements 
of  this  report  which  display  the  vast  amount  of  labor 
and  painstaking  which  must  have  gone  to  its  making. 
When  one  considers  that  it  was  prepared  amid  the  cares, 
dangers,  and  embarrassments  of  this  protracted  and  diffi- 
cult march,  it  becomes  matter  of  surprise  that  so  scien- 
tific and  generally  excellent  a  statement  could  have  been 
made  under  the  circumstances. 

From  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Bridger  the  distance 
is  1,009  miles  ;  from  Fort  Bridger  to  the  barracks  at  Be- 
nicia  it  is  1,119,  making  the  entire  distance  2,100  miles — 
a  journey  which  was  performed  by  Captain  Hancock  en- 
tirely on  horseback.  The  road  lay  through  some  of  the 
wildest  and  most  magnificent,  as  well  as  some  of  the 
most  beautiful,  scenery  in  America,  and  the  statistics  and 
suggestions  which  were  set  forth  by  him,  or  under  his 
direction,  were  a  valuable  contribution  to  our  knowledge 
of  the  country,  and  have  since  facilitated  the  establish- 
ment of  the  great  improvements  now  uniting  the  oceans 
by  the  route  across  the  continent. 

Having  performed   this  important   service,  Captain 


40  LIFE  OF  W INFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Hancock  awaited  orders  in  California  for  some  time,  but, 
receiving  a  leave  of  absence,  he  returned  to  the  East  via 
the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  and  rejoined  his  family. 
After  a  short  sojourn  at  home,  he  received  orders  to 
repair  again  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  report  for  duty,  and 
this  time,  accompanied  by  his  family,  he  proceeded  to 
California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival  on  the  Pacific  coast,  he  was  stationed  at 
the  old  Spanish  town  of  Los  Angeles,  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. Here  he  had  charge  of  the  quartermaster's 
depot  at  the  station,  from  which  the  troops  in  Southern 
California  and  Arizona  were  supplied  with  trains  and  all 
the  necessary  aids  to  their  subsistence  and  efficiency. 
The  duties  of  this  position  demanded  from  the  officer  in 
charge  wisdom,  energy,  business  tact,  and  administrative 
ability — the  peculiarities  of  climate,  the  diversity  of 
production,  the  formation  of  the  country,  the  roads  and 
the  modes  of  transportation,  making  the  task  of  supply- 
ing the  troops  in  that  section  a  vastly  different  one  from 
a  similar  duty  in  more  highly  improved  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. Unlooked-for  exigencies  and  unexpected  obstacles 
were  constantly  arising,  to  meet  which  with  skill  and 
promptness,  so  as  to  promote  the  public  service  in  the 
most  efficient  manner,  and  at  the  same  time  with  a  due 
regard  for  economical  expenditure,  required  a  mind  of 
no  ordinary  resources  and  energy  of  no  common  degree. 
But  the  natural  ability  of  Captain  Hancock  had,  all  this 
time,  been  educated  by  his  experience,  and,  during  the 
•two  years  in  which  he  continued  in  his  responsible  posi- 
tion, he  succeeded  in  filling  it  to  the  full  benefit  of  those 
dependent  upon  him  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his 
superior  officers. 

Los  Angeles  is  situated  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE   REBELLION.  41 

and  picturesque  regions  of  the  Pacific  coast.  For  sub- 
limity and  variety  its  scenery  can  scarcely  be  surpassed. 
Flanked  on  the  east  by  the  coast  range  of  mountains, 
hills,  valleys,  and  plains  of  great  beauty  and  fertility  ex- 
tend from  these  to  the  sea,  presenting  every  variety  of 
landscape.  The  climate  is  delightful,  invigorating,  and 
healthful ;  the  productions  of  all  latitudes  are  here  pres- 
ent, at  different  elevations.  To  this  country  the  dis- 
covery of  its  gold,  and  the  opening  of  rich  mines,  had 
attracted  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  the  greater 
number,  of  course,  being  Americans,  and  among  them, 
as  well  as  among  the  other  classes  of  inhabitants,  Captain 
Hancock  was  soon  fortunate  in  establishing  a  reputation 
which  was  to  be  of  signal  service  both  to  him  and  to  the 
country.  lie  was  universally  liked  and  respected,  and 
his  personal  influence  was  felt  among  all  those  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact,  notwithstanding  that  many  of 
the  inhabitants,  as  is  always  the  case  in  newly  settled  dis- 
tricts, were  rough  adventurers,  not  a  few  being  outlaws 
from  various  parts  of  the  civilized  world. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  affairs  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia in  1860,  and  now  it  was  that  the  first  portentous  rum- 
ble was  heard  of  that  discordant  and  confusing  outbreak 
which  had  already  begun  to  perplex  the  Eastern  shore  of 
our  country,  and  which  was  presently  to  burst  forth  in 
all  the  anomalous  and  terrible  emotion  of  the  rebellion. 
At  this  time,  as  is  well  known,  there  were  no  railroads 
crossing  the  continent,  no  telegraph,  no  direct  overland 
mails  even — for  Butterfield's  had  been  suspended — and 
so  tidings  of  what  was  being  enacted  in  the  Atlantic 
States  were  slowly  transmitted  by  the  dubious  and  con- 
stantly delayed  resources  of  the  Post-office  Department, 
and  by  way  of  a  circuitous  route,  via  the  Isthmus  of 


42  LIFE   OF   WINTIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Panama,  which,  delayed  news  from  the  East  about  two 
months.  The  agitations,  therefore,  which  now  aroused 
the  populations  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  threw  them 
into  a  turmoil  of  political  disturbance,  were  not  yet  felt 
upon  the  Pacific  Slope ;  but  the  wave  soon  swept  across 
the  continent,  and,  if  later  in  beginning,  the  storm  was 
scarcely  less  violent  there  than  at  its  source.  Adventu- 
rers and  excitable  emigrants  and  prospectors  had  flowed 
into  California  from  every  section  of  the  Union,  many 
of  them  from  the  Southern  country.  Every  shade  of 
political  opinion  could  be  found  among  the  American 
settlers.  Those  from  the  South,  as  was  natural,  sympa- 
thized with  secession,  even  to  the  extent  of  inclining 
toward  action  and  movement  that  should  display  this 
sympathy.  They  were  reminded  that  their  kindred 
and  homesteads  wrere  in  the  Southern  States,  to  which, 
indeed,  this  portion  of  California,  lying  far  south  of 
Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  might  be  considered  almost  as 
belonging.  The  reckless  character  and  incendiary  dispo- 
sition of  many  of  the  population  which  had  rushed  to  the 
gold  regions  favored  a  popular  outbreak,  and  even  with 
some  degree  of  hopefulness  of  the  success  of  a  possible 
Disunion  movement.  For  a  time  there  seemed  to  be  im- 
minent danger  that  such  a  movement  might  be  success- 
fully undertaken,  and  thus  this  entire  region,  with  all  its 
vast  wealth  and  promise,  be  swept  away  from  the  Ameri- 
can Union  before  even  the  serious  struggle  for  supremacy 
betwreen  the  warring  sections  might  fairly  be  said  to  have 
commenced. 

That  this  danger  was  indeed  imminent  will  be  readi- 
ly appreciated,  when  it  is  considered  that  besides  the  ele- 
ments to  which  we  have  referred,  must  be  included  also 
the  old  Spanish  population.  It  was  clear  that  this  por- 


EXCITEMENT   AT   LOS  ANGELES.  43 

tion  of  the  inhabitants  of  Lower  California  could  feel  no 
sentiment  of  loyalty  to  a  government  which  had  so  re- 
cently conquered  the  country,  and  this  class,  being  of  a 
roving  and  adventurous  disposition,  might  easily  be  de- 
pended upon  to  unite  in  any  movement  which  should 
offer  advantages  to  them  which  they  did  not  then  possess. 
To  these  add  the  considerable  number  of  the  population 
who  sympathized  with  the  South,  and  those  others  whose 
attachment  to  the  Union  was  more  figurative  than  real,  and 
it  will  be  seen  that  such  a  project  as  the  establishment  of 
an  independent  Pacific  republic  would  possess  attractions 
not  readily  to  be  overcome.  Such,  indeed,  was  the  case, 
and  it  is  an  historical  fact  that,  while  some  were  ready  to 
give  their  adherence  to  secession  and  the  South,  others 
inclined  to  raise  the  "  Bear  "  flag  and  actually  engage  in 
the  erection  of  a  Pacific  republic  ;  and  it  required  much 
prudence,  courage,  and  address  on  the  part  of  the  friends 
of  the  United  States  Government  to  prevent  one  or  the 
other  of  these  projects  becoming  an  accomplished  result. 
It  was,  indeed,  a  crisis  full  of  danger  and  difficulty, 
but,  fortunately,  Captain  Hancock  and  his  officers,  aided 
by  a  few  staunch  and  influential  friends  of  the  Govern- 
ment, were  equal  to  the  emergency.  Indeed,  the  posi- 
tion of  Captain  Plan  cock  was  sufficiently  critical.  If  the 
storm  had  burst,  whose  suspicious  under-current  of  in- 
trigue was  being  made  manifest,  its  first  fury  would  have 
fallen  upon  him.  The  depot  of  military  stores  under  his 
control,  and  the  supplies  and  munitions  of  war  which  he 
guarded,  were  deemed  a  first  necessity  by  the  proposed 
insurgents,  some  of  whom  actually  boasted  that  their  first 
step  in  the  direction  which  they  purposed  would  be  to 
possess  themselves  of  this  material.  Captain  Hancock 
was  early  made  aware  of  the  situation  of  affairs,  and  at 


44  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

once  took  measures  for  the  protection  of  the  integrity  of 
his  command.  He  personally  appealed  to  the  patriotism 
of  his  countrymen,  curbed  the  insolence  and  turbulence 
of  seditious  aliens,  and  exhibited  a  firm  and  determined 
purpose  which  overawed  those  who  showed  a  disposition 
to  interfere  with  the  authority  of  the  Government. 

The  occurrence  of  the  4th  of  July,  1861,  gave  an  op- 
portunity to  the  Union  men  of  Southern  California,  par- 
ticularly to  those  of  Los  Angeles,  to  organize  a  plan,  whose 
successful  conduct,  it  was  hoped  by  Captain  Hancock, 
who  devised  it,  wrould  at  once  annihilate  the  incipient 
seeds  of  treason,  and  serve  to  retain  that  section  promi- 
nently under  the  old  flag.  Determined  to  make  such  a 
display  on  this  occasion  as  should  effect  his  purposes, 
Captain  Hancock  ordered  up  from  a  distance  of  one  hun- 
dred miles  a  squadron  of  United  States  cavalry,  which, 
added  to  his  force,  and  to  the  number  of  out-and-out 
Union  men  within  reach,  made  a  respectable  procession ; 
and,  certainly,  all  the  customary  features  of  Independence 
Day  that  could  be  undertaken  were  made  a  part  of  the 
Los  Angeles  celebration.  Not  the  least  effective  of  these 
was  a  public  speech  made  by  Captain  Hancock,  his  first 
attempt  at  oratory,  and  which  is  given  here  in  full  from 
a  report  published  in  a  Los  Angeles  paper  at  the  time. 
It  is  strongly  suggestive  of  the  situation,  as  well  as  indica- 
tive of  the  patriotism  and  the  oratorical  powers  of  our 
hero  at  this  period  of  his  life,  and  is  illustrative  of  the 
prudent  firmness  with  which  its  author  bore  himself  in 
the  difficult  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed : 

"  We  have  here  met  to  commemorate  that  day,  of  all 
among  Americans  the  most  hallowed  and  cherished  of 
the  national  memories  of  a  lifetime — the  Fourth  of  July, 
1776  ;  that  day  when  the  reign  of  tyrants  in  the  colo- 


CAPTAIN  HANCOCK'S  PATRIOTIC  SPEECH,  45 

nies  of  America  closed,  and  the  reign  of  reason,  of  fra- 
ternity, and  of  equal  political  rights  began. 

u  Who  on  this  continent  does  not  know  of  the  great 
events  which  occurred  on  that  day,  the  anniversary  of 
which  we  are  met  here  to  celebrate — the  event  so  interest- 
ing to  all  true  Americans :  the  Declaration  of  our  Na- 
tional Independence  ?  And  who  among  us  would  wish  to 
see  the  day  approach  when  that  occasion  should  cease  to 
be  commemorated  ?  I  will  not  believe  that  any  can  be 
found  so  destitute  of  patriotic  pride  as  not  to  feel  in  his 
veins  a  thrilling  current  when  the  deeds  of  his  ancestors 
in  the  battles  of  the  Revolution  are  mentioned. 

"  Can  any  one  of  us  hear  related  the  great  events  of 
that  contest  without  wishing  that  his  ancestors  had  been 
honorably  engaged  in  them  ? 

"  Who  of  us  can  forget  the  names  of  Lexington,  of 
Monmouth,  of  Brandywine,  and  Yorktown,  and  who  can 
regret  that  they  are  descendants  of  those  who  fought  there 
for  the  liberties  we  now  enjoy  ? 

"  And  what  flag  is  that  we  now  look  to  as  the  banner 
that  carried  us  through  that  great  contest  and  was  honored 
by  the  gallant  deeds  of  its  defenders  ?  The  Star  Spangled 
Banner  of  America,  then  embracing  thirteen  pale  stars, 
representing  that  number  of  oppressed  colonies  ;  now 
thirty-four  bright  planets,  representing  that  number  of 
great  States.  To  be  sure,  clouds  intervene  between  us  and 
eleven  of  that  number ;  but  we  will  trust  that  those  clouds 
will  soon  be  dispelled,  and  that  those  great  stars  in  the 
Southern  constellation  may  shine  forth  again  with  even 
greater  splendor  than  before.  Let  them  return  to  us! 
We  will  welcome  them  as  brothers  who  have  been  es- 
tranged, and  love  them  the  more  that  they  were  angered 
and  then  returned  to  us. 


4:6  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

"We  have  an  interest  in  the  battle-fields  of  those 
States  not  second  to  their  own.  Our  forefathers  fought 
there  side  by  side  with  theirs ;  can  they,  if  they  would, 
throw  aside  their  claims  to  the  memories  of  the  great 
fields  on  our  soil,  on  which  their  ancestry  won  renown  ? 
No,  they  can  not !  God  forbid  that  they  should  desire  it. 

"  To  those  who,  regardless  of  these  sacred  memories, 
insist  on  sundering  this  Union  of  States,  let  us,  who  only 
wish  our  birthrights  preserved  to  us,  and  whose  desire  it 
is  to  be  still  citizens  of  the  great  country  that  gave  us 
birth,  and  to  live  under  that  flag  which  has  gained  for 
us  all  the  glorious  histories  we  boast  of,  say  this  day : 
'  Your  rights  we  will  respect ;  your  wrongs  we  will  assist 
you  to  redress ;  but  the  Union  is  a  ^ecious  heritage  that 
we  intend  to  preserve  and  defend  to  the  last  extremity.'' 

"  Let  us  believe,  at  least  let  us  trust,  that  our  brothers, 
then,  do  not  wish  to  separate  themselves  permanently 
from  the  common  memories  which  have  so  long  bound 
us  together,  but  that,  when  reason  returns  and  resumes 
her  sway,  they  will  prefer  the  brighter  page  of  history, 
which  our  mutual  deeds  have  inscribed  upon  the  tablets 
of  time,  to  that  of  the  uncertain  future  of  a  new  confed- 
eration, which,  alas !  to  them,  may  prove  illusory  and  un- 
satisfactory." 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  real  importance  of  the 
incendiary  opinions  which  for  a  time  disturbed  the  politi- 
cal atmosphere  of  Southern  California,  it  is  certain  that 
after  this  Fourth  of  July  celebration  little  or  nothing  was 
heard  of  them,  and  it  was  generally  conceded  on  the  spot 
that  the  wisdom,  forbearance,  and  calm  determination  of 
Captain  Hancock,  in  the  execution  of  what  he  recognized 
to  be  his  duty  to  his  country  and  his  profession,  were  im- 
portant elements  in  quelling  the  rising  spirit  of  disaffection. 


REPORTS  FOR  DUTY  AT  WASHINGTON.  47 

By  this  time,  sufficient  information  of  the  serious  na- 
ture of  the  outbreak  in  the  Southern  States  had  reached 
California  to  make  a  profound  impression.  As  might  be 
supposed,  a  soldier,  possessing  the  energy,  courage,  and 
devoted  patriotism  of  Hancock,  would  hardly  remain  con- 
tented in  the  comparatively  quiet  and  serene  position 
which  he  occupied  at  Los  Angeles,  and,  in  fact,  he  made 
early  and  earnest  application  to  be  relieved  from  duty  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  and  to  be  transferred  to  more  active 
service  at  the  seat  of  war.  This  request  was  at  length 
granted,  and,  as  soon  as  orders  arrived,  Captain  Hancock 
terminated  his  official  duties  at  Los  Angeles  with  his 
customary  promptness  and  dispatch,  and  hastened  to  em- 
bark for  the  East,  accompanied  by  his  family. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1861,  he  landed  at  New 
York,  and,  without  waiting  even  to  visit  his  parents,  within 
a  few  miles  of  whose  home  he  passed  en  route,  he  reported 
himself  at  "Washington  for  active  service. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Ordered  to  the  Quartermaster's  Department — Commissioned  Brigadier- 
General  and  sent  to  the  Front — Preparation  of  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac— Occupations  of  the  Winter  of  1861-'2 — Drilling  the  Men — 
General  Hancock  as  a  Disciplinarian — His  Standing  with  his  Soldiers 
— Grand  Review  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — Beginning  of  the 
March  on  Richmond — Skirmishes  and  Reconnoissances — Battle  of 
Williamsburg — The  Brigade  wins  its  First  Colors — General  Hancock 
commended  in  the  Official  Report — "  Hancock  was  Superb  To-day  " 
— Movement  to  the  Peninsula  along  the  Chickahominy — Battles  of 
Gaines's  Mill  and  Garnett's  Hill — The  Change  of  Base  to  the  James — 
Retreat  of  the  "  Seven  Days  " — Battle  of  Savage  Station — Arrival  at 
Harrison's  Landing — Up  the  Potomac. 

AT  the  time  Captain  Hancock  reported  for  duty  at 
Washington  he  was  thirty-eight  years  old.  That  he 
sought  more  active  service  than  that  in  which  he  had 
been  recently  engaged,  was  not  alone  for  love  of  his  pro- 
fession and  from  a  natural  and  proud  ambition  to  seek 
distinction  in  the  service,  but  from  principle. 

He  drew  his  sword  in  maintenance  of  those  political 
theories  in  which  he  had  been  raised,  and  from  love  for 
his  whole  country  and  for  the  flag.  It  was,  indeed,  at 
this  time  that  he  wrote,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend :  "  My 
politics  are  of  a  practical  kind — the  integrity  of  the  coun- 
try, the  supremacy  of  the  Federal  Government,  an  honor- 
able peace  or  none  at  all."  Fortunately  for  the  cause, 
the  nature  of  the  important  services  which  Captain  Han- 
cock had  already  rendered,  and  his  marked  ability  and 


COMMISSIONED  BRIGADIER-GENERAL.  49 

full  appreciation  of  a  soldier's  duty,  had  been  recognized 
by  his  former  commanders,  Worth,  Harney,  and  others, 
and  were  well  known  to  the  army  and  to  the  country. 

In  the  beginning,  it  was  rightly  felt  that  the  success 
of  campaigns  depends  as  much  upon  the  efficiency  of  the 
quartermaster's  department  certainly  as  upon  any  other ; 
and  for  this  reason,  and  because  of  his  special  experience, 
and  his  administrative  and  organizing  qualities,  Captain 
Hancock  was  at  first  assigned  to  the  post  of  chief  quar- 
termaster on  the  staff  of  General  Robert  Anderson,  who 
had  been  placed  in  command  of  the  Union  forces  in  Ken- 
tucky. But  he  was  destined  to  a  far  more  brilliant  ca- 
reer, and,  even  while  preparing  to  obey  this  order,  Gen- 
eral McClellan,  who  appreciated  Hancock's  high  military 
talents,  proposed  his  name  for  the  appointment  of  brig- 
adier-general. The  commission  was  issued  by  order  of 
President  Lincoln  on  the  23d  of  September,  186L  It 
was  at  once  accepted,  and  Brigadier-General  Hancock 
entered  upon  active  duty. 

It  is  esteemed  a  remarkable  instance  in  the  life  of  an 
officer,  whose  duty  had  hitherto  consisted,  chiefly,  in  the 
performance  of  purely  official  and  administrative  func- 
tions in  the  position  of  a  quartermaster  in  the  United 
States  army,  and  with  the  rank  of  captain,  that  he  should 
be  transferred  at  one  step  to  such  high  rank,  and  ordered 
at  once  on  active  military  service.  No  greater  compli- 
ment, perhaps,  has  ever  in  the  history  of  the  United 
States  army  been  paid  to  a  record  chiefly  accomplished  in 
times  of  peace.  To  be  sure,  Hancock  was  no  novice  in 
the  art  of  war ;  his  experience  had  been  varied  and  ardu- 
ous in  Mexico,  in  the  Seminole  War  in  Florida,  and 
among  the  hostile  Indians  of  the  West.  Through  all  his 
military  life  he  had  been  favored  by  circumstances  calcu- 

3 


50  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

lated  to  inform  him  in  all  the  elements  necessary  to  a 
soldier's  career,  and  to  draw  upon  all  the  qualities  which 
he  might  possess  calculated  to  be  available  to  him  there- 
after. General  Hancock  at  once  bent  all  his  energies  to 
aid  in  the  organization  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  It 
is  more  difficult  to  superinduce  thorough  discipline  in 
the  Volunteer  service  than  in  the  Regular  army.  "With 
all  the  superior  intelligence,  patriotism,  and  self-reliance 
of  such  soldiers,  it  is  difficult  at  first  to  inaugurate  and 
sustain  in  such  an  army  a  high  degree  of  efficiency ;  but 
this  is  essential,  and  the  young  organizer  and  commander 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  found  in  General  Hancock, 
as  also  in  other  West  Point  graduates,  capable  coadjutors. 
And  here  it  is  proper  to  state  that,  throughout  the  war, 
General  Hancock  never  commanded  any  but  volunteer 
soldiers. 

Toward  the  close  of  September  General  McClellan 
held  the  first  grand  review  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
the  President  being  present,  when  seventy  thousand  men, 
the  largest  number  assembled  up  to  this  time,  were  ma- 
noeuvred. Meanwhile,  additional  troops  were  constantly 
arriving  and  being  dispatched  to  appropriate  positions. 
General  Hancock's  brigade,  the  first  of  Smith's  division, 
consisted  of  the  following  regiments  :  the  Fifth  Wiscon- 
sin, Colonel  Amasa  Cobb ;  Sixth  Maine,  Colonel  Hiram 
Enrnham;  Forty-ninth  Pennsylvania,  Colonel  William 
W.  Irwin ;  Fourth  New  York,  Colonel  Francis  L.  Yin- 
ton  ;  in  all,  four  thousand  men. 

Soon  after  the  brigade  was  organized,  its  camp  was  re- 
moved to  a  position  in  front  of  the  Chain  Bridge  road  near 
Lewinsville,  where  it  remained  until  the  embarkation  for 
the  Peninsula.  In  the  following  spring,  on  the  advance 
of  our  forces  beyond  the  Potomac,  the  enemy  retired  be- 


DRILLING  THE  MEN.  51 

fore  them  with  some  slight  skirmishing,  but  without  any 
engagement  of  importance.  The  nearness  and  boldness 
of  the  enemy,  however,  were  indicated  by  these  colli- 
sions, and  they  had  the  effect  of  familiarizing  the  men  of 
both  sides  with  danger.  Occupying  an  advanced  posi- 
tion, Hancock's  troops  bore  their  full  share  in  these  skir- 
mishes, and  were  effective  at  once  in  deterring  the  enemy 
from  foraging  raids  and  in  obtaining  much  that  had  else 
been  bestowed  to  their  comfort. 

On  the  21st  of  October  General  Hancock  took  part 
in  a  reconnoissance  in  force  from  the  camp.  In  this  both 
infantry  and  artillery  were  employed,  and  the  movement 
resulted  satisfactorily. 

The  time  until  spring  was  devoted  by  the  entire  vol- 
unteer army  in  drilling,  and  instruction  in  the  art  of  war, 
many  of  both  officers  and  men  being,  of  course,  new  to 
the  service,  and  having  everything  to  learn  that  might 
render  them  efficient.  It  was  during  this  time  that  Gen- 
eral Hancock,  through  the  exercise  of  the  strong  self- 
reliance,  firmness,  and  address,  which  he  always  displayed 
to  such  an  eminent  degree,  succeeded  in  establishing 
such  relations  with  his  officers  and  men  as  thenceforward 
characterized  his  military  career.  In  fact,  Hancock  ex- 
celled in  the  exact  qualities  required  by  his  important 
position  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  he  succeeded 
in  a  marvelous  degree  in  inaugurating  military  authority 
and  discipline,  and  yet  in  such  a  way  as  to  inspire  love 
and  respect  for  his  presence  to  so  great  an  extent  that 
his  very  name  thereafter  stirred  the  enthusiasm  of  his 
troops  like  the  tones  of  a  trumpet.  Officers  and  men 
found  him  to  be  exact  and  unyielding  in  requiring  sub- 
ordination, in  military  discipline,  and  in  the  prompt  and 
faithful  performance  of  duty.  Sometimes,  on  the  march 


52  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

and  on  the  field  of  battle,  lie  was  impetuous  and  stern  in 
the  enforcement  of  his  orders ;  but  combined  with  these 
habitudes  of  command  he  displayed  the  most  inflexible 
justice  and  impartiality,  and  a  warm  and  generous  appre- 
ciation and  acknowledgment  of  service  well  performed. 
He  aimed  to  administrate  the  affairs  of  his  command 
with  absolute  fairness  and  justice.  Those  who  were 
most  intimate  with  him  socially  received  from  him  the 
same  official  treatment  with  those  whom  he  only  knew  as 
belonging  to  his  command.  ]S"o  officer  or  private  ever 
preferred  a  complaint  which  did  not  receive  thorough 
and  prompt  investigation ;  and  it  was  a  well-recognized 
fact  that  he  was  as  prompt  to  redress  the  wrongs  of  a 
private  soldier  as  those  of  an  officer  in  high  position.  It 
was  also  a  characteristic  of  General  Hancock  that  he  was 
as  active  and  exact  in  obeying  the  orders  of  his  military 
superiors  as  he  was  in  requiring  obedience  from  his  sub- 
ordinates. This  inflexible  maintenance  of  justice,  both 
to  those  under  his  command  and  to  the  interest  of  the 
public  service,  no  doubt  made  for  General  Hancock  some 
enemies  in  his  various  commands,  but  it  is  acknowledged 
that  in  very  few  instances  did  he  ever  give  reasonable 
grounds  for  complaint.  He  treated  all  impartially,  and, 
if  his  requirements  were  ever  severe  and  strict,  or  his 
reproofs  of  delinquencies  stern  and  prompt,  these  were 
such  as  the  very  nature  of  the  military  service  de- 
mands. 

During  the  winter  of  1861-' 2  General  Hancock  and 
his  subordinate  officers  were  so  diligent  in  the  instruction 
and  drill  of  his  brigade,  that  when,  in  the  spring  of  1862, 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  landed  on  the  peninsula  formed 
by  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  James  River,  which  be- 
came the  theatre  of  the  first  grand  operations  of  the  war, 


BATTLE  OF  WILLIAMSBURG.  53 

his  brigade  was  one  of  the  most  complete  and  effective 
in  the  army,  and  at  once  came  to  the  front. 

Shortly  after  it  landed  at  Fortress  Monroe,  Smith's 
division,  to  which  it  was  attached,  was  assigned  to  the 
Fourth  Army  Corps. 

Its  first  serious  conflict  with  the  enemy  was  in  the 
action  at  Lee's  Mills,  on  Warwick  Creek,  April  16,  1862, 
when  it  took  part  in  the  attack  on  that  position  by  Smith's 
division.  A  light  skirmish  had  previously  occurred  at 
Young's  Mills,  in  the  progress  of  a  reconnoissance  made 
from  Newport  News  by  General  Hancock,  but  in  this 
affair  there  was  little  that  was  noteworthy.  Subsequently, 
the  brigade  was  hotly  engaged  in  several  severe  skirmishes 
during  the  operations  in  front  of  Yorktown,  and  in  which 
it  lost  a  considerable  number  of  killed  and  wounded. 

In  the  march  from  Lee's  Mills  to  Williamsburg,  May 
4,  1862,  and  during  the  operations  at  that  point,  General 
Hancock  was  in  command  of  Davidson's  brigade  of 
Smith's  division,  in  addition  to  his  own.  The  connection 
of  General  Hancock  with  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  and 
his  importance  in  relation  to  the  general  action,  give  good 
reason  for  some  description  of  a  part  of  this  engagement. 
"With  a  comparatively  small  force,  numbering  less  than 
2,000  men,  he  fought  and  won  an  important  action,  which 
really  resulted  in  the  immediate  evacuation  of  Williams- 
burg  and  its  works  by  the  enemy ;  while  it  is  a  fact  that 
such  of  our  troops  as  were  engaged  against  the  enemy's 
right  met  with  repeated  repulses,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
day  had  gained  no  substantial  advantage.  The  force  han- 
dled by  General  Hancock  in  this  engagement  consisted  of 
five  regiments  of  infantry,  the  Fifth  Wisconsin,  Sixth 
Maine,  Forty-ninth  Pennsylvania,  of  his  own  brigade,  Sev- 
enth Maine,  a  portion  of  the  Thirty-third  New  York  Yol- 


54  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HAXCOCK. 

unteers,  of  Davidson's  brigade,  and  Wheeler's  and  Cowan's 
batteries,  both  from  New  York,  in  all,  less  than  2,000  men. 
The  enemy  sent  about  5,000  men  to  drive  Hancock's  com- 
mand from  Queen's  Run  ;  but  such  was  his  success  in  re- 
pelling them  that  the  attacking  force  became  alarmed  lest 
their  communications  up  the  Peninsula  might  be  cut  off, 
and  this  apprehension  doubtless  caused  the  retreat  of  the 
night  of  the  5th  of  May.  Hancock's  loss  in  the  battle  of 
Williamsburg  was  126  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  fact 
of  such  a  loss  from  his  small  number  showed  that  the 
fight  was  close,  while  the  additional  fact  that  the  enemy's 
loss  was  from  500  to  700  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners 
in  this  engagement,  and  that  he  was  put  to  flight,  shows 
that  the  fighting  was  effective.  In  regard  to  General 
Hancock's  connection  with  this  battle,  General  McClellan, 
in  his  published  Report,  page  185, says:  "Being  satisfied 
that  the  result  of  Hancock's  engagement  was  to  give  us 
possession  of  the  decisive  point  of  the  battle-field,  during 
the  night  I  countermanded  an  order  for  the  advance  of 
the  divisions  of  Sedgwick  and  Richardson." 

This  was  the  first  hard  fighting  of  the  brigade,  and 
its  conduct  was  creditable  to  both  the  men  and  their 
commander.  In  the  morning  of  the  battle  a  portion  of 
the  force  received  a  scathing  fire  from  the  enemy,  and 
retired,  in  obedience  to  orders,  to  gain  a  crest  which  Gen- 
eral Hancock  had  chosen  for  his  line  of  battle.  This 
movement,  always  difficult  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy, 
was  executed  with  great  steadiness  and  coolness,  and 
when  the  enemy  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the  crest,  not 
fifty  paces  from  our  line,  and  delivered  a  heavy  fire  upon 
our  troops,  they  were  met  with  such  spirit  and  their  fire 
returned  with  such  deadly  effect  that  they  fled  from  the 
field,  routed  and  dismayed.  On  this  battle-field  was  cap- 


THE  BRIGADE  WINS  ITS  FIRST  COLORS.  55 

tured  the  first  color  taken  by  tlie  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  it  is  proper  to  state  that  so  high  an  appreciation  did 
General  McClellan  have  of  the  results  of  Hancock's 
action  that  he  personally  thanked  each  regiment,  and  di- 
rected that  they  should  be  honored  by  having  the  name 
"  Williamsburg  "  emblazoned  on  their  colors.  The  re- 
port of  the  commander-in-chief  as  to  this  action  says : 
"At  11  A.M.  General  Smith  received  orders  from  Gen- 
eral Sumner  to  send  one  brigade  across  a  dam  on  our 
right,  and  occupy  a  redoubt  on  the  left  of  the  enemy's 
line.  Hancock's  brigade  was  selected  for  this  purpose, 
crossed  the  dam,  took  possession  of  the  first  redoubt,  and, 
afterward  finding  a  second  one,  took  and  occupied  that 
also,  and  sent  for  ree'nf orcements,  to  enable  him  to  advance 
further  and  take  the  next  redoubt,  which  commanded  the 
plain  between  his  position  and  Fort  Magruder,  and  would 
have  enabled  him  to  take  in  reverse  and  cut  the  com- 
munications of  the  troops  engaged  against  Generals 
Hooker  and  Kearney.  The  enemy  soon  began  to  show 
himself  in  strength  before  Hancock,  and,  as  his  rear  and 
flank  were  somewhat  exposed,  he  repeated  his  request  for 
reinforcements.  General  Smith  gave  the  order  to  reen- 
force,  but  each  time  the  order  was  countermanded  at  the 
moment  of  execution,  General  Sumner  not  being  willing  to 
weaken  the  center.  At  length,  in  reply  to  General  Han- 
cock's repeated  messages  for  more  troops,  General  Sum- 
ner sent  him  an  order  to  fall  back  to  his  former  position, 
the  execution  of  which  order  General  Hancock  deferred 
as  long  as  possible,  being  unwilling  to  give  up  the  advan- 
tage already  gained,  and  fearing  to  expose  his  command 
by  such  a  movement.  ...  As  heavy  firing  was  heard 
in  the  direction  of  General  Hancock's  command,  I  or- 
dered General  Smith  to  proceed  with  his  two  remain- 


56  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

ing  brigades  to  support  that  part  of  tlic  line.  .  .  .  Be- 
fore Generals  Smith  and  Naglee  could  reach  the  field 
of  General  Hancock's  operations,  although  they  moved 
with  great  rapidity,  he  had  been  confronted  by  a  superior 
force.  Feigning  to  retreat  slowly,  he  waited  their  onset, 
and  then  turned  upon  them,  and,  after  some  terrific  mus- 
ketry firing,  he  charged  them  with  the  bayonet,  routing 
and  dispersing  their  whole  force."  (Hancock's  order 
was,  "Gentlemen,  we  must  give  them  the  bayonet — 
Charge ! ")  "  This,"  adds  McClellan,  "  was  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  engagements  of  the  war ;  and  General  Han- 
cock merits  the  highest  approval  for  the  soldierly  quali- 
ties displayed,  and  his  perfect  appreciation  of  the  vital 
importance  of  his  position  in  putting  an  end  to  all  opera- 
tions here.  All  the  troops  who  had  been  engaged  slept 
on  the  muddy  field  without  shelter  and  many  without 
food."  (See  McClellan's  Eeport,  pages  181-183.) 

After  the  battle  of  "  Williamsburg,"  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  advanced  up  the  Peninsula  to  the  Chickahominy, 
a  river  that  rises  in  the  hilly  grounds  northwest  of  Rich- 
mond, and  flowing  southeast,  almost  parallel  with  the 
Pamunkey,  suddenly  turns  with  a  short  bend  to  the  south 
about  midway  between  the  James  and  the  York,  and 
debouches  into  the  former  some  dozen  miles  above  "Wil- 
liamsburg.  At  about  this  time,  General  McClellan,  with 
the  President's  consent,  organized  two  additional  army 
corps — Fifth  and  Sixth — and  Smith's  division,  to  which 
Hancock's  brigade  was  attached,  was  included  in  the 
Sixth,  General  William  B.  Franklin  commanding. 

The  next  close  encounter  of  Hancock's  brigade  with 
the  enemy  was  in  the  action  of  Garnett's  Hill,  June  27, 
1862,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Chickahominy.  In  this 
fight  his  brigade,  in  conjunction  with  several  other  regi- 


BATTLES  OF  GAINES'S  MILL  AND   GARNETT'S  HILL.      57 

ments  and  some  batteries  of  artillery,  all  under  Hancock's 
command,  repelled  a  strong  attack  of  the  enemy  in  a 
battle  of  less  than  two  hours'  duration.  In  this  action 
the  brigade  lost  quite  heavily.  It  occurred  on  the  same 
day  that  the  main  portion  of  the  army  was«eo  severely 
defeated  at  Gaines's  Mill,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy.  Only  one  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps — Slocum's 
— took  part  in  the  battle  of  Gaines's  Mill ;  while  the  other 
division — Smith's — was  held  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
stream  near  Garnett's  Farm,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from 
breaking  through  our  lines  at  that  point,  seizing  the 
bridge,  and  crossing  the  river,  thereby  separating  our 
army  in  two  parts.  The  fight  made  by  Hancock's  com- 
mand at  Garnett's  Hill  derived  its  chief  importance  from 
the  fact  that  it  prevented  such  a  disaster  as  would  have 
resulted  from  a  separation  of  our  army  by  the  enemy. 

"  Hooker's  fight,"  says  Swinton,  "  was  really  quite 
unnecessary,  for  the  difficult  obstacles  against  which  he 
had  to  contend  might  have  been  easily  turned  by  the 
right.  This  was  actually  done  by  Hancock,  who,  with 
slight  loss,  determined  the  issue "  (Swinton,  page  118). 
It  ought  also  to  be  remembered  that  Hooker  fought  un- 
der Sumner's  orders,  and  fought  splendidly. 

The  Chickahominy  River,  along  the  valley  of  which 
McClellan  advanced  upon  Richmond,  is  a  sinuous  stream, 
flowing  through  dense  forests  and  bordered  by  swampy 
land,  very  impracticable 'for  military  roads;  besides  this, 
it  overflowed  its  banks  during  this  march.  If  bridges 
had  been  built  across  the  Chickahominy  high  enough  to 
avoid  the  floods  existing  at  that  time,  the  battle  of  Five 
Forks  never  could  have  ended  in  disaster.  In  the  terri- 
ble state  of  the  roads,  produced  by  the  heavy  rains  and 
the  overflow  of  the  river,  it  required  amazing  care  ancl 


58  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

tact  on  the  part  of  the  officers  to  effect  the  advance  move- 
ment, but  both  officers  and  men  proved  equal  to  the  diffi- 
culties that  they  had  to  encounter.  Space  will  not  permit 
the  entering  into  any  description  of  the  direct  movements 
of  McClellan's  army  in  its  march  on  Richmond.  The  whole 
plan  and  its  later  actions  are  so  inextricably  mingled  with 
political  questions  and  the  administration  at  "Washington, 
features  of  history  with  which  this  work  has  no  concern, 
that  they  demand  no  consideration  here,  particularly  as 
they  involve  no  question  concerning  General  Hancock 
necessary  to  enter  into  here. 

Having  determined  to  change  his  base  of  operations 
to  the  James  River,  General  McClellan  fixed  the  26th  of 
June,  1862,  as  the  date  for  his  advance ;  but  on  this  day 
the  enemy,  which  had  been  reenforced  by  Stonewall 
Jackson,  attacked  him  in  force.  This  fight  inaugurated 
the  famous  and  terrible  movement  known  as  the  "  Seven 
Days,"  and  which  began  on  the  28th  of  June.  The 
enemy  on  that  morning  attacked  the  rear-guard  of  Han- 
cock's brigade  at  Golding's  Farm,  a  point  held  by  it. 
This  attack  was  handsomely  repulsed. 

On  the  29th  the  brigade  participated  in  the  engage- 
ment of  Savage  Station,  where  General  Hancock  com- 
manded his  own  and  Davidson's  brigade.  During  the 
night  march  from  White  Oak  Swamp  to  the  James  Riv- 
er, Hancock  commanded  the  advance  of  the  rear-guard  of 
the  Sixth  Corps,  at  a  time  when  it  was  supposed  that  the 
enemy  had  interposed  between  our  troops  and  the  James 
River,  and  when  it  was  momentarily  expected  that  his  col- 
umn would  be  attacked  on  the  road.  It  is  but  justice  to 
Hancock's  brigade  to  say  that,  at  the  end  of  the  seven  days 
(when  it  moved  into  its  position  at  Harrison's  Landing), 
during  which  time  it  was  constantly  exposed  to  the  ene- 


UP  THE  POTOMAC.  59 

my  by  daylight  and  in  its  night  marches,  it  presented  an 
unblenching  front,  and,  so  far  was  it  from  demoraliza- 
tion, that  the  next  morning,  when  called  upon,  it  was 
ready  to  move  to  the  front  of  our  lines  and  offer  battle 
to  the  enemy.  Hancock's  brigade  had  no  further  active 
service  on  the  Peninsula,  and  accompanied  the  other 
troops  ordered  up  the  Potomac. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Movement  from  Harrison's  Landing  to  Acquia  Creek  and  Alexandria,  to 
join  General  Pope — Hancock's  Brigade  at  Ccntrevillc — Defeat  and 
Demoralization  of  Pope's  Army — The  Capital  in  Danger — General 
McClellan  placed  in  Command  of  the  Defenses  around  Washington — 
Battle  of  Antictam — General  Hancock  made  Commander  of  the  First 
Division,  Second  Army  Corps,  on  the  Field  of  Battle — Loss  at  Antietam 
— The  Army  delayed  by  the  Want  of  Clothing  and  Supplies. 

ON  the  23d  of  August,  1862,  General  Hancock's 
brigade  embarked  with  the  rest  of  the  Sixth  Corps  at  For- 
tress Monroe,  whence  the  troops  were  transferred  to 
Acquia  Creek  and  Alexandria  to  join  the  army  of  Gen- 
eral Pope.  The  Sixth  Corps  did  not,  however,  partici- 
pate in  the  campaign,  its  operations  consisting  merely  in 
marching  from  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria  to  Centreville, 
where  it  met  Pope's  retreating  army.  The  corps  occu- 
pied the  intrenchments  at  that  position  during  the  night 
of  August  30,  1862,  and  the  following  morning ;  it  then 
moved  back  to  the  line  of  defenses  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Potomac  near  "Washington,  where  it  remained  in 
camp  until  the  opening  of  the  Maryland  campaign,  which 
terminated  at  Antietam. 

This  movement  was  the  result  of  an  order  issued  by 
General  Halleck,  newly  appointed  Commander-in-chief, 
and  which  was  conveyed  by  telegraph  to  General  McClel- 
lan. It  was  briefly  to  withdraw  his  entire  army  from  the 


MOVEMENT  TO  JOIN   GENERAL  POPE.  61 

Peninsula  to  Acquia  Creek,  and  join  the  army  of  General 
Pope. 

The  situation  of  the  army,  and  indeed  that  of  the 
whole  country,  at  this  time  was  appalling.  General  Pope 
had  been  defeated  and  discomfited,  and  his  broken  bat- 
talions were  all  that  lay  between  Lee  and  Washington. 
The  capital  itself  was  in  peril,  and  the  most  serious  rumors 
spread  through  the  country  and  alarmed  the  nation.  The 
movements  of  Lee  up  the  Potomac  seemed  to  portend 
either  the  invasion  of  Maryland,  or  possibly  the  capture 
of  Washington,  and  at  length,  forced  to  an  act  of  ac- 
knowledgment, General  Halleck  recalled  McClellan  and 
put  him  in  command,  begging  that  he  would  assist  in 
this  crisis  with  his  ability  and  his  experience.  The  news 
of  McClellan's  restoration  spread  rapidly  through  the 
army,  and  restored  the  morale  of  the  demoralized  force. 
The  army  was  immediately  put  in  motion,  the  process  of 
reorganization  being  continued  during  the  march.  This 
process  was  in  no  slight  degree  aided  and  encouraged  by 
the  excellent  example  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  to  which  Gen- 
eral Hancock's  brigade  belonged.  The  perfect  order  and 
magnificent  bearing  of  these  troops  presented  a  model 
which  told  favorably  upon  the  reorganization  of  tho 
whole  body. 

The  Sixth  Corps  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  South 
Mountain,  or  rather  in  the  two  actions  which  made  Up 
that  engagement,  and  in  which  Hancock's  brigade  ac- 
tively participated. 

After  Crampton's  Gap  and  Turner's  Gap,  the  passes 
through  South  Mountain,  had  been  carried,  three  days 
before  Antietam,  the  Sixth  Corps,  with  Hancock's  brigade 
in  the  advance,  pressed  forward  and  arrived  on  that  now 
celebrated  battle-field  at  about  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning 


62  LIFE  OF  WIXFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

of  September  ITtli.  Smith's  division,  to  which  Hancock's 
brigade  belonged,  at  once  went  into  action  to  support  the 
right  wing  of  the  army,  which,  under  General  Sumner, 
had  been  badly  shattered,  and  was  now  hard  pressed  by 
the  enemy.*  At  the  moment  General  Plancock's  line  of 
battle  was  formed,  and  just  before  he  gave  the  order  to 
move  under  fire,  he  addressed  a  few  words  to  his  brigade, 
telling  them  in  substance  that  he  knew  he  could  depend 
upon  their  steadiness  and  gallantry  in  the  struggle  before 
them,  which  would  undoubtedly  be  a  fierce  one,  and  call- 
ing upon  them  to  fight  with  their  accustomed  valor  upon 
this  field,  which  he  hoped  might  prove  the  one  to  termi- 
nate the  war.  These  few  words  from  the  General  seemed 
to  put  officers  and  men  upon  their  metal ;  and,  when  the 
order  was  given  to  advance,  the  brigade  swept  forward 
in  quick  time,  and  struck  the  enemy  just  as  he  was  attack- 
ing some  of  our  unsupported  batteries  in  the  corn-field  at 
our  right,  near  the  Dunker  church,  which  stands  about  a 
mile  northward  of  the  village  of  Sharpsburg  on  the 
Hagerstown  road. 

It  was  but  the  work  of  a  few  moments  to  push  the 
enemy  back  into  the  woods  from  which  he  had  emerged 
to  charge  our  batteries,  and  by  this  movement  the  latter 
were  undoubtedly  saved,  for  the  onset  upon  them  was 
determined,  and  there  was  not  a  single  regiment  of  in- 

*  General  Sumner  was,  in  fact,  badly  beaten,  and  his  force  terribly  cut 
up ;  but  this  determined  old  soldier  persisted  in  retaining  the  command. 
Urged  by  both  Generals  Hancock  and  Franklin  to  attack  the  enemy,  he 
stubbornly  refused  ;  sent  Slocum's  division  to  rcenforce  Burnside  ;  and,  by 
forcing  General  Sedgwick  to  take  his  division  into  action  in  solid  column, 
instead  of  with  an  interval  between  his  brigades,  as  that  general  desired 
(which  would  keep  them  at  supporting  distance,  without  endangering  the 
whole,  on  the  repulse  of  the  advance),  actually  destroyed  the  value  of  his 
reinforcements. 


BATTLE  OF  ANTIETAM.  63 

fantry  within  supporting  distance  of  them  when  Han- 
cock's brigade  came  into  action.  As  the  force  so  promptly 
driven  back  from  our  batteries  were  Stonewall  Jackson's 
men,  the  reader  will  infer  that  it  was  no  child's  play. 

Our  line,  after  this  engagement,  was  so  firmly  estab- 
lished on  that  part  of  the  field,  that  the  enemy  did  not 
again  assail  it  with  infantry,  although  it  suffered  con- 
siderably from  the  artillery  fire  at  grape-shot  range. 
These  operations  largely  contributed  to  the  victory 
gained  upon  that  hard-fought  field — a  victory  which  might 
have  been  sooner  achieved,  and  more  complete  in  its 
results,  but  for  the  unaccountable  delay  of  the  officer 
having  command  of  the  left  wing  of  our  army  in  obey- 
ing the  repeated  orders  of  the  Commanding  General  to 
cross  Antietam  Creek  and  assail  the  enemy's  right.  The 
battle  of  Antietam  arrested  General  Lee's  march  of  in- 
vasion, and  compelled  him  to  retire  across  the  Potomac 
into  Virginia.  No  military  man  doubts  that,  had  this 
advantage  been  followed  up,  very  different  results  from 
those  that  occurred  might  have  crowned  the  campaign. 
The  superseding  of  General  McClellan,  and  the  events 
which  ensued,  are  well  known  to  history,  and  have  been 
frequently  and  sufficiently  criticised. 

The  operations  of  the  Sixth  Corps  on  the  bloody  but 
victorious  field  of  Antietam  closed  General  Hancock's 
official  action  with  the  gallant  brigade,  which  he  had  un- 
interruptedly commanded  from  the  time  when  he  had 
organized  and  trained  it,  in  September,  1861.  The  some- 
what abrupt  character  of  that  termination  occurred  in 
this  wise  :  About  two  o'clock  r.  M.  of  the  day  of  battle — 
the  17th — Hancock  had  been  directed  by  General  Mc- 
Clellan in  person  to  proceed  to  a  point  some  distance  to 
the  left  of  our  line  of  battle,  and  assume  command  of 


64:  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Richardson's  division  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,  that 
brave  general  having  been  mortally  wounded  on  the 
morning  of  this  terrible  day.  Although  this  transfer 
on  the  field  of  battle  to  a  higher  command,  by  selection 
of  the  General-in-chief,  was  highly  complimentary  to 
General  Hancock,  and  placed  him  in  a  more  prominent 
and  important  position,  yet  it  was  a  severe  trial  to  his 
sensibilities  to  be  separated  from  "  Hancock's  Brigade," 
as  it  was  known  throughout  the  army  and  the  country, 
and  by  which  name  it  was  familiar  during  its  existence. 
He  had  formed,  drilled,  and  disciplined  it ;  had  molded 
it  into  a  perfect  condition  ;  had  led  it  to  its  first "  baptism 
of  blood  "  ;  had  commanded  it  in  many  actions,  and  had 
never  seen  it  abandoned  or  demoralized  in  the  darkest 
hours  of  the  Peninsula  campaign.  He  knew  personally 
every  officer  and  almost  every  soldier  in  it,  was  warmly 
attached  to  them  all,  and  he  followed  its  after  career  with 
intense  solicitude,  proud  of  the  glorious  part  it  bore  in 
the  splendid  storming  of  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg, 
its  desperate  fighting  at  Marye's  Heights  a  few  days  after- 
ward, its  magnificent  assault  upon  the  works  at  Rap- 
pahannock  Station,  November  7,  1863,  its  brilliant 
conduct  in  the  campaigns  of  1863-' 4  with  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  and  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah.  A 
military  authority  writes  on  this  subject  as  follows :  "  I 
shall  never  forget  the  first  meeting  I  witnessed  of  General 
Hancock  and  his  old  brigade  after  he  had  been  trans- 
ferred from  it  at  Antietam.  It  occurred  near  Falmouth, 
Virginia,  in  the  spring  of  1863.  The  Sixth  Corps 
was  marching  past  the  camp  of  Hancock's  division  of 
the  Second  Corps,  during  General  Burnside's  move- 
ment known  as  the  'Mud  March.'  The  brigade  had 
halted  for  a  rest  near  General  Hancock's  headquarters, 


GENERAL  HANCOCK'S  COMMAND.  65 

and  sent  word  to  the  General  that  they  had  come  to  see 
him.  He  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  over  to  meet  his 
old  comrades.  Upon  his  appearance  among  them,  officers 
and  men  broke  out  into  cheer  after  cheer.  Caps  were 
thrown  into  the  air,  and  every  manifestation  of  pleasure 
was  exhibited  at  the  sight  of  the  commander  who  had 
first  taught  them  to  be  soldiers  and  first  led  them  into 
battle." 

The  First  Division,  Second  Army  Corps,  to  which 
General  Hancock  was  assigned  as  commander  on  the 
field  of  Antietam,  September  17,  1862,  was  composed  of 
three  brigades,  commanded  respectively  by  Brigadier- 
General  Thomas  Francis  Meagher  (the  Irish  Brigade), 
Brigadier-General  John  C.  Caldwell,  and  Colonel  John 
K.  Brooke,  Fifty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  It 
contained  many  of  the  best  regiments  in  the  service, 
and  numbered  among  its  officers  some  of  the  brightest 
and  most  gallant  spirits  in  the  army.  Prominent  among 
these  may  be  mentioned  General  Francis  L.  Barlow,  then 
colonel  of  the  Sixth  New  York  Yolunteers,  afterward 
major-general  of  volunteers,  commanding  the  First  Di- 
vision, Second  Corps  [he  was,  after  the  war,  in  1872, 
Attorney-General  of  the  State  of  New  York]  ;  Colonel 
Henry  B.  McKeen,  Eighty-first  Pennsylvania  Yolunteers, 
afterward  killed  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  June  5, 
1864;  Colonel  Nelson  A.  Miles,  Sixty-first  New  York 
Yolunteers:  after  Colonel  Barlow's  promotion  to  be 
brigadier-general,  he  was  made  major-general  of  volun- 
teers, commanding  the  First  Division  of  the  Second 
Corps,  and,  1872,  Colonel  of  the  Fifth  Tlnited  States  In- 
fantry ;  Colonel  Edward  E.  Cross,  Fifth  New  Hamp- 
shire Yolunteers,  who  was  killed  at  Gettysburg ;  Colonel 
S.  K.  Zook,  afterward  promoted  to  be  brigadier-general 


66  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

of  volunteers,  also  killed  at  Gettysburg ;  Colonel  John 
R.  Brooke,  Fifty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  pro- 
moted before  the  close  of  the  war  to  be  brigadier-gen- 
eral, and,  in  1872,  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Third  United 
States  Infantry.  There  were  many  others,  whose  daring, 
courage,  coolness,  intelligence,  and  promptitude  in  the 
execution  of  orders,  imparted  great  efficiency  to  the  divis- 
ion. "When  General  Hancock  assumed  the  command  of 
this  division,  it  had  just  distinguished  itself  by  a  tremen- 
dous assault  upon  those  portions  of  the  enemy's  lines 
known  in  the  descriptions  of  the  battle  of  Antietam  as 
the  "  sunken  road  "  and  "  Piper's  house,"  which  points 
it  had  carried  after  a  stern  and  bloody  struggle.  In  the 
"  sunken  road,"  especially,  the  fighting  had  been  so  fierce 
and  obstinate  that,  when  the  enemy  gave  way,  their  dead 
lay  in  such  large  numbers  as  to  cause  them  to  appear  as 
if  their  whole  line  of  battle  had  perished.  The  division 
was  under  a  sharp  musketry  fire  when  General  Hancock 
joined  it.  As  rapidly  as  possible,  he  set  himself  to  mak- 
ing the  acquaintance  of  the  brigade  and  regimental  com- 
manders, and  then  to  taking  measures  for  preparing  the 
lines  for  the  attack  which,  he  had  been  informed,  was  to 
be  made  upon  the  enemy's  position  at  four  o'clock  that 
afternoon.  The  attack,  however,  wras  not  ordered,  and 
the  enemy  retreated  the  same  night  from  the  field  and 
recrossed  the  Potomac. 

The  loss  of  this  division  at  Antietam  amounted  to 
five  thousand  men. 

The  battle  of  Antietam,  or,  as  the  Confederates  called 
it,  Sharpsburg,  was  fought  upon  a  piece  of  territory 
forming  a  sort  of  peninsula  made  by  the  Potomac  River 
and  Antietam  Creek,  with  the  village  of  Sharpsburg 
near  its  center.  General  Lee  had  chosen  the  ground  and 


LOSSES  AT  ANTIETAM.  67 

invited  the  battle.  There  it  was  stubbornly  contested, 
and,  although  the  victory  was  with  the  Union  forces,  no 
immediate  results  followed,  except  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Confederate  army  from  "Maryland. 

The  losses  at  Antietam  were  2,010  killed,  and  9,407 
wounded,  and  more  than  1,000  missing,  aggregating 
12,469.  Besides  this  sum,  12,000  of  the  Union  troops 
were  captured  at  Harper's  Ferry,  where  Halleck  had 
retained  them,  against  the  advice  of  General  McClellan, 
as  being  in  "  a  position  of  strategic  importance,"  whereas 
it  was  only  important  as  a  trap  for  its  occupants.  As 
Lee  had  retreated  to  the  south  side  of  the  Potomac 
on  the  night  of  the  18th  of  September,  our  army  was 
eo  disposed  as  to  be  ready  to  follow  him  after  burying 
its  dead,  disposing  of  its  wounded,  and  obtaining  needed 
supplies  of  clothing,  etc.,  of  most  of  which  the  army  was 
exceedingly  destitute. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Encampment  of  the  Second  Corps — Harper's  Ferry  Rcconnoissance,  and  Skir- 
mishing at  Charlestown — March  to  the  Rappahannock — Final  Removal 
of  General  McClellan — Replaced  by  General  Burnside — The  Army 
before  Fredericksburg — Waiting  for  Pontoons — Battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg— Gallant  Assault  on  Marye's  Heights  by  Hancock's  Division — 
Repulse  of  the  Union  Forces — Retreat  across  the  Rappahannock — 
Losses  in  General  Hancock's  Division— The  "  Mud  March  " — Removal 
of  General  Burnside — General  Joseph  Hooker  in  Command — In  Win- 
ter Quarters. 

ON  the  19th  of  September,  the  Second  Corps,  in  which 
General  Hancock  commanded  the  first  division,  marched 
to  Harper's  Ferry,  where  it  lay  encamped  until  the  move- 
ment southward  to  "Warrenton,  and  thence  to  Freder- 
icksburg, in  October  and  November.  In  the  mean  time, 
however,  General  Hancock  made  an  important  recon- 
noissance  from  Harper's  Ferry  to  Charlestown,  Virginia, 
where  he  had  a  sharp  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  who  fell 
back  on  Winchester.  This  reconnoissance  was  made 
with  a  mixed  command  of  cavalry,  artillery,  and  infantry, 
about  six  thousand  strong,  and  was  accompanied  by  Gen- 
eral McClellan  in  person.  Its  object  having  been  accom- 
plished, General  McClellan  ordered  Hancock  to  return 
to  camp,  and  this  was  effected  without  disturbance  on 
the  following  morning. 

A  period  of  discouraging  delay  now  followed,  while 
the  army  waited  for  blankets,  shoes,  and  other  articles  of 


FINAL  REMOVAL  OF  GENERAL  MCCLELLAN.  69 

clothing,  without  which  it  was  impossible  to  march.  The 
movement  began  on  the  1st  of  November,  when  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  left  Harper's  Ferry  and  its  vicini- 
ty for  the  Rappahannock.  During  the  progress  of  this 
movement  General  McClellan  was  again  removed  from 
his  command.  Late  on  the  night  of  November  7th, 
amidst  a  heavy  snow-storm,  a  special  messenger  arrived 
post  haste  from  "Washington,  and  repaired  to  the  tent  of 
General  McClellan  at  Rectortown.  He  was  the  bearer 
of  the  following  dispatch,  which  he  handed  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  army : 

"WAR  DEPARTMENT,  ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S  OFFICE, 

"  WASHINGTON,  November  5,  1862. 

"  GENERAL  ORDER  No.  182  : 

"  By  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
it  is  ordered  that  Major-General  McClellan  be  relieved 
from  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
that  Major-General  Burnside  take  command  of  that  army. 

"  By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 
"E.  D.  TOWNSEND,  Assistant- Adjutant- General" 

It  chanced  that  General  Burnside  was  at  that  moment 
with  McClellan  in  his  tent.  Opening  the  dispatch,  and 
reading  it  without  a  change  of  countenance  or  of  voice, 
McClellan  passed  the  paper  to  his  successor,  saying  as  he 
did  so :  "  Well,  Burnside,  you  are  to  command  the 
army."  General  McClellan  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  and 
report  by  letter  from  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  He  is  now 
(1880)  a  resident  of  that  city  as  Governor  of  the  State  of 
New  Jersey.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  General 
Burnside  himself  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  removal  of 
General  McClellan,  and  that  it  was  with  unfeigned  reluc- 


70  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

tance  that  he  assumed  the  command  of  the  army.*  Swin- 
ton  says :  "  The  moment  chosen  for  his  removal  was  an 
inopportune  and  an  ungracious  one,  for  never  had  McClel- 
lan  acted  with  such  vigor  and  rapidity,  never  had  he  shown 
so  much  confidence  in  himself  or  the  army  in  him  ;  and  it 
is  a  notable  fact  that  not  only  was  the  whole  body  of  the 
army,  rank  and  file,  as  well  as  the  officers,  enthusiastic  in 
their  affection  for  his  person,  but  that  the  very  gentleman 
who  was  appointed  his  successor  was  the  strongest  oppo- 
nent of  his  removal."  In  his  testimony  before  "  the  Com- 
mittee on  the  Conduct  of  the  "War  "  General  Burnside  said, 
with  honorable  frankness  :  "  After  getting  over  my  sur- 
prise and  shock,  etc.,  I  told  General  Buckingham  that  it 
was  a  matter  that  required  very  serious  thought ;  that  I 
did  not  want  the  command ;  that  it  had  been  offered  me 
twice  before ;  and  that  I  did  not  feel  that  I  could  take  it. 
I  told  them  (his  staff)  what  my  views  were  with  refer- 
ence to  my  ability  to  exercise  such  a  command,  which 
views  I  had  always  unreservedly  expressed,  that  I  was 
not  competent  to  command  such  a  large  army  as  this.  I 
had  said  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again  to  the  Presi- 
dent and  Secretary  of  War,  and  also  that,  if  things  could  be 
satisfactorily  arranged  with  General  McClellan,  I  thought 
he  could  command  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  better  than 
any  other  general  in  it  "  ("  Eeport  of  the  Committee  on 

*  This  was  the  situation — in  a  nutshell :  McClellan,  with  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  men,  and  having  secured  South  Mountain  by  his  cav- 
alry, opposed  Longstreet  with  forty-two  thousand  on  one  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  Stonewall  Jackson  with  about  as  many  on  the  other.  McClellan's 
plan,  known  to  the  Government  at  Washington,  was  to  attack  and  destroy 
Longstreet's  army,  then  fall  upon  Jackson,  and,  having  defeated  both  forces 
— conceded  by  the  best  critics  to  have  been  a  perfectly  feasible  conclusion — 
to  move  upon  Richmond,  when  the  war  would  have  indubitably  ended  then 
and  there.  At  this  juncture  McClellan  was  superseded — for  what  reason  ? 


THE  ARMY  BEFORE  FREDERICKSBURG.       71 

the  Conduct  of  the  War,"  Yol.  i,  page  650).  But  things 
could  not  be  satisfactorily  arranged  with  General  McClel- 
lan  ;  he  was  known  to  be  a  Democrat  of  conservative  opin- 
ions, and  that  was  his  disqualification,  for,  although  it  was 
known  that  he  had  served  and  would  serve  the  country 
and  the  cause  of  the  Union  faithfully,  it  was  also  foreseen 
that  the  general  who  should  terminate  the  war  success- 
fully would  gain  an  overshadowing  popularity  with  the 
people,  and  it  was  important  to  the  party  in  power  either 
that  he  should  be  in  harmony  with  their  political  views, 
or  be  a  man  of  such  an  accommodating  disposition  as  to 
be  easily  bent  to  their  purpose.  It  is  improbable  that 
General  Burnside  would  have  proved  sufficiently  pliable, 
but  failure  of  success  left  him  untried  in  that  respect.* 

After  a  delay  of  ten  days  at  "Warrenton,  abandoning 
all  of  McClellan's  plans,  the  march  of  the  army  was  con- 
tinued to  the  Rappahannock,  down  which  stream  it  moved 
via  Falmouth  to  a  position  opposite  the  town  of  Freder- 
icksburg,  which  stands  on  the  left  or  west  bank  of  that 
river.  Burnside  tried  to  mask  his  movements  by  threaten- 
ing an  advance  on  Gordonsville ;  but  Lee  soon  penetrated 
his  design,  and  marched  in  a  line  almost  parallel  with  his 
adversary.  General  Sumner's  advance  reached  Falmouth 

*  Among  other  baseless  fabrications  concerning  General  Hancock,  one 
relates  that  he  conspired  with  others  of  the  officers  under  McClellan's  com- 
mand to  resist  the  Government  at  Washington,  and  retain  that  general  in 
his  position.  A  curious  coincidence,  in  connection  with  this,  exists  in  the 
fact  that,  while  General  Hancock  reproved  certain  young  officers  who,  in  his 
presence,  ventured  to  use  threatening  language  in  regard  to  McClellan's  re- 
moval by  saying  sternly,  "  Gentlemen,  we  are  serving  no  one  man,  we  are 
serving  our  country,"  General  McClellan  himself,  under  similar  circum- 
stances, and  at  the  same  time,  used  almost  the  identical  language  cmploj-ed 
by  General  Hancock.  His  words  were,  "  Gentlemen,  please  remember  that 
we  are  here  to  serve  the  interests  of  no  one  man.  We  arc  here  to  serve 
our  country." 


72  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

November  17th,  and  designed  to  cross  the  river  to  Fred- 
ericksburg ;  but,  the  bridges  having  been  burned,  he  had 
only  an  artillery  duel  with  the  Confederate  forces  which 
were  on  the  opposite  bank.  Our  pontoons,  by  some  neg- 
lect, had  not  arrived,  and  the  army  was  kept  in  waiting 
for  want  of  them  for  more  than  a  week,  until  Lee  had 
ample  time  to  concentrate  his  forces  at  Fredericksburg 
in  order  to  dispute  the  crossing  of  the  river  by  Burnside's 
army. 

The  position  of  General  Lee  was  a  strong  one,  and  he 
had  time  so  to  strengthen  and  to  dispose  of  his  forces 
as  to  make  a  direct  assault  upon  it  across  a  tide-water 
river  an  almost  hopeless  undertaking.  The  town  of  Fred- 
ericksburg is  chiefly  built  of  brick,  and  its  site  slopes 
gently  up  from  the  river  to  an  elevation  or  ridge  called 
Marye's  Heights.  These  heights  afforded  commanding 
positions  for  the  batteries  of  the  enemy,  and  long  ranges 
of  stone  fences  running  parallel  with  the  line  of  defenses 
secured  good  protection  for  the  infantry.  In  advance 
of  these,  earthworks  were  thrown  up,  extending  at  inter- 
vals to  nearly  a  mile  above  the  city  and  about  three  miles 
below  it.  No  very  active  operations  were  commenced 
against  Fredericksburg  until  the  night  of  December  10th 
and  morning  of  the  llth,  when  our  army  began  throwing 
pontoon  bridges  over  the  river  opposite  and  below  the 
town.  On  the  13th,  the  army  crossed  in  the  face  of  a 
terrible  fire  from  the  enemy,  and  a  fierce  battle  began. 
To  the  Second  Corps,  to  which  Hancock's  division  be- 
longed, was  allotted  the  task  of  storming  the  works  of 
Marye's  Heights,  the  powerful  position  already  described 
just  in  the  rear  of  the  town,  and  which  was  defended  by 
large  masses  of  troops  and  many  batteries  of  artillery. 
In  the  assault  which  followed,  General  Hancock  led  his 


GALLANT  ASSAULT  BY  HANCOCK'S  DIVISION.  73 

division  through  such  a  fire  as  has  rarely  been  encoun- 
tered in  warfare.  The  men  forced  their  way  with  fearful 
loss  within  fifteen  or  twenty  paces  of  the  fatal  stone  wall 
at  the  foot  of  the  Heights,  but  found  it  impossible  to 
carry  the  position,  although  gallantly  supported  by  other 
divisions  of  the  Second  Corps  and  other  troops  sent  to 
aid  them.  Still  they  did  not  relinquish  the  ground,  but 
held  it  under  a  murderous  musketry  and  artillery  fire, 
until  late  in  the  night,  when  they  were  relieved  by  fresh 
troops.  Of  this  assault,  an  historian  writes :  "  Braver  men 
never  smiled  at  death  than  those  who  climbed  Marye's 
Hill  that  fatal  day.  Their  ranks,  even  in  the  process  of 
formation,  were  plowed  through  and  torn  to  pieces  by 
Rebel  batteries,  and,  after  at  heavy  cost  they  had  reached 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  they  were  confronted  by  a  solid  stone 
wall  four  feet  high,  from  behind  which  a  Confederate 
brigade  of  infantry  mowed  them  down  like  grass,  exposing 
but  their  heads  to  our  bullets,  and  those  only  while  thus 
firing.  Never  did  men  fight  better,  or  die,  alas !  more 
fruitlessly,  than  did  most  of  Hancock's  division,  especial- 
ly Meagher's  Irish  brigade,  composed  of  the  Sixty-third, 
Sixty-ninth,  and  Eighty-eighth  of  New  York,  Twenty- 
eighth  Massachusetts,  and  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth 
Pennsylvania.  .  .  .  Thus  Hancock's  and  French's  divis- 
ions were  successively  sent  against  those  impregnable 
heights,  guarded  with  batteries  rising  tier  above  tier,  all 
carefully  trained  upon  the  approaches  from  Fredericks- 
burg,  while  that  fatal  stone  wall,  so  strong  that  even 
artillery  could  make  no  impression  on  it,  completely  shel- 
tered Barksdale's  brigade,  which,  so  soon  as  our  columns 
came  within  rifle  range,  poured  into  their  faces  the  dead- 
liest storm  of  musketry."  (Greeley's  "American  Con- 
flict," pages  344,  345.) 

4 


74  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

During  the  night  of  the  13th,  or  rather  the  morning 
of  the  14th,  at  about  two  o'clock,  General  Burnside,  com- 
manding the  army,  visited  General  Hancock  at  his  head- 
quarters in  Fredericksburg,  to  converse  and  advise  with 
him  on  the  events  of  the  day,  and  just  as  he  was  leaving 
directed  General  Hancock  to  have  his  division  in  readi- 
ness to  support  an  attack  which  he  intended  to  make  on 
the  enemy's  position  on  Marye's  Heights  at  9  A.  M.  that 
day;  but  the  contemplated  assault  was  not  made,  other 
counsels  having  prevailed. 

General  Hancock's  official  report  of  this  battle  includes 
a  statement  of  the  losses  of  his  division,  and  illustrates 
the  terrible  nature  of  the  fighting.  It  gives  5,006  men 
taken  into  action,  of  whom  2,010  were  killed  or  wounded, 
and  of  these  156  were  commissioned  officers.  Of  General 
Hancock's  personal  staff,  three  were  wounded,  and  four  had 
horses  shot  under  them,  while  the  General  himself  had  a 
narrow  escape,  a  musket-ball  having  passed  through  his 
clothes,  abrading  the  skin. 

General  Burnside's  intention  to  renew  the  attack  at 
Fredericksburg  was  so  bitterly  opposed  by  General  Sum- 
ner  and  the  other  generals  that  he  finally  relinquished 
it.  In  his  testimony  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct 
of  the  War,  General  Burnside  states  that  he  was  induced 
by  Sumner's  protest  to  recall  the  order  for  this  attack. 

On  the  two  days  succeeding  the  battle,  Sunday,  14th, 
and  Monday,  15th,  the  troops  laid  on  their  arms,  and  dur- 
ing the  night  of  the  latter,  protected  from  discovery  by 
the  noise  produced  by  a  peculiarly  harsh  and  discordant 
gale,  the  army  was  withdrawn  to  the  north  side  of  the 
Rappahannock.  The  loss  of  the  Union  army  in  the  fight 
at  Fredericksburg  was  12,321  killed,  wounded,  and  miss- 
ing, and  the  fact  that  one-sixth  of  this  entire  loss  fell 


IN  WINTER  QUARTERS.  75 

upon  Hancock's  division  of  5,000  men  shows  what  kind 
of  work  they  did  that  day.  The  loss  of  the  Confederates 
was  5,309  killed  and  wounded,  the  difference  being  ac- 
counted for  by  the  fact  that  they  fought  from  behind 
fences  and  breastworks.  In  the  following  month  Gen- 
eral Burnside  ordered  a  movement  across  the  Rappahan- 
nock  and  along  its  banks  six  miles  above  Fredericksburg. 
The  divisions  of  Franklin  and  Hooker  were  put  in  motion 
in  two  parallel  columns.  On  the  19th  of  January,  1863, 
a  terrible  storm  of  rain,  which  came  up  in  the  night  and 
lasted  two  days,  converted  the  country  through  the  lines 
of  the  advance  into  "  a  continent  of  mud,"  deep,  adhe- 
sive, and  unmanageable.  Still  the  columns  struggled  on 
in  what  is  known  in  the  history  of  the  army  as  the  "  Mud 
March,"  and  with  incredible  toil  in  corduroying,  and  drag- 
ging pontoons,  artillery,  and  supply  wagons  over  utterly 
impassable  roads,  they  had  neared  the  ford ;  but,  seeing 
the  hopelessness  of  the  undertaking,  and  learning  that 
Lee  was  ready  to  meet  it,  General  Burnside  recalled  the 
army  to  its  quarters. 

Shortly  after  this  General  Burnside  was  relieved  from 
command,  and  his  resignation  accepted,  General  Joseph 
Hooker  being  appointed  by  the  President  in  his  place. 

The  result  of  this  change  of  commanders  was  to  re- 
vive in  the  army  the  zeal  and  confidence  which  had  cer- 
tainly been  considerably  weakened  under  recent  disasters, 
and  from  a  feeling  of  doubt,  generally  prevalent,  concern- 
ing the  capacity  of  General  Burnside. 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

The  Reorganization  of  the  Army— The  New  Battfe-field — Position  of  Lee's 
Army — General  Hooker's  Plan — The  Battle  of  Chancellorville— Part 
borne  by  General  Hancock — Heavy  Engagement  on  May  2d  and  3d — 
General  Hooker  rendered  Insensible  by  a  Spent  Shot — Gallant  Con- 
duct of  Colonel  N.  A.  Miles— Withdrawal  of  the  Union  Army— Han- 
cock placed  in  Command  of  the  Second  Army  Corps — Lee  moves 
Northward,  crosses  the  Potomac  from  Western  Maryland  into  Penn- 
sylvania— Movements  of  Hooker's  Army — General  Hooker  relieved 
by  Major-General  George  G.  Meade — Concentration  of  the  Opposing 
Armies  at  Gettysburg. 

AFTER  his  appointment  to  the  command,  General 
Hooker  wisely  determined  not  to  attempt  any  large  op- 
erations during  the  winter  season  of  impassable  roads. 
The  "  Mud  March  "  had  taught  him  and  his  generals  that 
there  were  other  things  to  be  overcome  besides  the  ene- 
my, and  he  spent  three  months  in  efforts  to  bring  the 
army  into  a  condition  of  efficiency.  Certain  improve- 
ments in  its  organization  were  effected,  such  as  abolishing 
the  "  Grand  Divisions,"  perfecting  the  several  depart- 
ments, consolidating  the  cavalry  under  able  leaders  and 
improving  its  efficiency,  and  introducing  corps  badges, 
for  the  double  purpose  of  distinguishing  to  what  corps  a 
soldier  belonged  and  forming  V esprit  du  corps.  The 
ranks  were  filled  up  by  recalling  absentees,  discipline  and 
drilling  were  maintained,  and  before  the  spring  cam- 
paign opened,  Hooker  found  himself  at  the  head  of  120,- 
000  foot  of  all  arms,  and  12,000  well-appointed  cavalry. 


THE  NEW  BATTLE-FIELD.  77 

The  Confederate  Army  numbered  scarcely  half  that 
force,  as  two  divisions  under  Longstreet  had  been  de- 
tached, and  did  not  rejoin  it  until  after  the  battle  of 
Chancellorville. 

Nearly  due  west  from  Fredericksburg,  and  eleven 
miles  from  that  town  and  in  the  same  county — Spott- 
sylvania — there  stands  a  large  brick  house,  with  a  num- 
ber of  outbuildings,  forming  a  little  hamlet,  called 
Chancellorville.  It  is  on  the  western  side  of  a  wild 
and  barren  district,  known  as  "  The  Wilderness."  Lee's 
army  had  been  lying  during  the  winter  along  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  stretching  for  some  miles  east  of  Fredericks- 
burg  up  that  river  nearly  or  quite  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Rapidan,  and  had  been  strengthening  the  defenses  along 
the  river  with  a  view  of  preventing  its  being  crossed  by 
the  Union  forces.  Hooker's  army  rested  upon  the  plains 
of  Stafford,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rappahannock.  Gen- 
eral Hooker  now  formed  the  bold  plan  of  marching  up 
the  river,  crossing  it  and  its  tributary — the  Rapidan — 
turning  Lee's  flank  near  Chancellorville,  and  sweeping 
him  en  reverse.  On  the  27th  of  April,  1863,  his  turning 
column  was  put  in  motion,  consisting  of  the  corps  of 
Meade,  Fifth ;  Couch,  Second ;  Howard,  Eleventh ;  and 
Slocum,  Twelfth.  The  movement  resulted  in  the  battle 
usually  called  Chancellorville,  which  was  attended  by 
great  loss  of  men,  and  resulted  disastrously.  The  opera- 
tions continued  after  our  front  crossing  the  river,  from 
April  29th  to  May  6th.  In  this  campaign  General  Han- 
cock bore  a  conspicuous  part.  His  division  and  that  of 
French,  both  of  the  Second  Corps,  crossed  the  Rappa- 
hannock  at  the  United  States  Ford,  a  little  more  than  a 
mile  below  the  point  of  affluence  of  the  Rapidan,  on 
April  30th. 


78  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

On  May  1,  Hancock's  division  was  thrown  on  the 
Fredericksburg  turnpike  to  support  Sykes's  division, 
Fifth  Corps,  then  moving  to  Fredericksburg  along  that 
road.  Sykes  was  already  engaged  with  the  enemy;  and 
Hancock,  having  formed  his  troops  in  a  very  advantage- 
ous position,  was  about  to  go  into  the  attack,  when  both 
divisions  were  promptly  ordered  to  retire  from  Chancel- 
lorville,  much  against  the  judgment  of  Generals  Hancock 
and  Couch,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the  corps  commander. 
Orders  to  fall  back  were  repeated,  however,  but  General 
Hancock  was  so  loath  to  relinquish  his  ground  that  the 
advancing  enemy  had  an  opportunity  of  firing  into  the 
rear  of  his  column  as  it  made  the  backward  march.  Han- 
cock was  closely  and  hotly  engaged  on  the  two  following 
days,  May  2d  and  3d,  and  successfully  resisted  all  efforts  of 
the  enemy  to  break  through  his  line.  He  had  fixed  his 
headquarters  in  the  road  just  in  front  of  the  Chancellor 
house,  one  of  the  most  exposed  points  on  the  whole  field 
of  battle,  being  constantly  swept  by  the  enemy's  artil- 
lery. His  horse  was  shot  under  him.  At  this  point,  on 
May  2,  it  was  while  leaning  against  a  pillar  of  the  house, 
close  to  Hancock's  headquarters,  that  General  Hooker  was 
knocked  down  by  a  spent  shot  and  rendered  for  a  time 
insensible.  Colonel  "N.  A.  Miles,  Sixty-first  New  York 
Volunteers,  who  commanded  the  advanced  line  of  Han- 
cock's division  on  the  Fredericksburg  road,  particularly 
distinguished  himself  on  both  the  2d  and  3d  of  May,  in 
repelling  several  fierce  assaults  made  upon  him  by  the 
enemy,  and  was  dangerously  wounded  just  after  he  had 
repulsed  one  of  the  fierce  attacks  on  his  line.  General 
Hancock  sent  an  aide  to  him  with  the  message,  "  Tell 
Miles  he  is  worth  his  weight  in  gold."  Such  prompt 
acknowledgment  and  warm  commendation  of  handsome 


WITHDRAWAL  OF  THE  UNION  ARMY.  79 

services  was  one  of  Hancock's  characteristics,  which 
greatly  endeared  him  to  both  officers  and  men. 

Hancock's  division  was  the  last  to  leave  the  field  on 
the  3d,  when  our  forces  withdrew  from  the  line  which 
covered  the  roads  concentrating  at  the  Chancellorville 
house  to  the  new  position  in  the  rear,  which  had  been 
selected  and  prepared  the  previous  evening.  The  division 
retired  to  this  new  line  leisurely,  dragging  with  it  by 
hand  the  artillery  of  Lepine's  Maine  battery,  which  had 
been  abandoned  near  the  Chancellor  house,  after  its 
officers,  men,  and  horses  had  nearly  all  been  killed  or 
wounded. 

The  battle  of  Chancellorville  was  well  planned,  but 
was  not  well  fought  by  the  Union  general.  Possessing, 
no  doubt,  courage  and  many  other  elements  of  a  good 
commander,  Hooker  was  nevertheless  not  a  great  general. 
Had  he  possessed  those  qualities  which  are  necessary  to 
forecast  a  campaign  in  all  its  details,  the  results  might 
have  been  different,  and  had  not  General  Hooker,  at  a 
very  critical  moment  during  the  action,  been  stunned  and 
rendered  insensible,  as  has  already  been  related. 

General  Hancock,  in  his  testimony  before  the  Commit- 
tee on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  thus  describes  the  retire- 
ment of  our  army :  "  My  position  was  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Chancellor  house,  and  I  had  a  fair  view  of  this 
battle,  and,  although  my  troops  were  facing  and  fighting 
that  way,  the  first  lines  referred  to  finally  melted  away 
and  the  whole  front  passed  out ;  first  the  Third  Corps  went 
out,  and  there  was  nothing  left  on  that  part  of  the  line 
but  my  own  division ;  that  is,  on  that  extreme  point  of 
the  line  on  the  site  of  the  Chancellor  house,  toward  the 
enemy.  I  was  directed  to  hold  that  position  until  a 
change  of  line  of  battle  could  be  made,  and  was  to  hold  it 


80  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

until  I  was  notified  that  all  the  other  troops  had  gotten 
off.  This  necessitated  my  fighting  for  a  time  both  ways. 
I  had  two  lines  of  battle,  one  facing  toward  Fredericks- 
burg,  and  the  other  line  behind  that ;  and  I  had  to  face 
about  the  troops  in  the  rear  line  to  the  right  for  the  en- 
emy who  were  coming  on  in  that  direction.  I  had  a  good 
deal  of  artillery,  and,  although  the  enemy  masked  their 
infantry  in  the  woods  very  near  me,  and  attempted  to  ad- 
vance, and  always  held  a  threatening  attitude,  I  judge 
that  they  had  exhausted  their  troops,  as  they  attempted 
no  attack,  although  I  remained  for  some  time  alone  in 
this  position  with  artillery  all  the  time,  some  of  my  men 
of  the  rear  line  occasionally  being  shot  by  the  enemy's 
infantry,  and  when  the  time  came  I  marched  off  to  my 
new  position,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  old 
position — the  United  States  Ford,  where  the  new  line  of 
battle  had  been  laid  out,  and  which  we  held  until  we 
crossed  the  river." 

This  withdrawal  gave  the  enemy  the  roads  leading  to 
Fredericksburg,  which  they  used  to  advance  on  Sedgwick 
and  attack  him. 

The  Chancellorville  campaign  was  a  failure.  Our  loss, 
including  that  of  Sedgwick's  corps,  was  1 7,1 97  men  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing ;  the  Confederate  loss  was  never  as- 
certained, but  it  was  probably  not  much  less  than  ours,  and, 
considering  that  among  their  mortally  wounded  was  Lieu- 
tenant-General T.  J.  Jackson  (Stonewall),  their  loss  was 
greater.  That  general  had  loomed  into  an  importance  in 
the  estimation  of  the  South,  and  by  the  Confederate 
army,  that  caused  his  loss  to  be  deplored  by  them  as  the 
greatest  that  could  have  befallen  them. 

This  campaign  terminated  General  Hancock's  career 
as  a  division  commander.  The  Second  Corps  returned 


LEE  MOVES  NORTHWARD.  81 

from  Chancel  lor  ville  to  its  former  camp  at  Falmouth  and 
vicinity  in  front  of  Fredericksburg,  where  it  remained 
until  the  commencement  of  the  campaign,  which  culmi- 
nated at  Gettysburg.  In  the  mean  time,  early  in  June, 
1863,  Couch  relinquished  the  command  of  the  Second 
Corps,  and  General  Hancock  was  placed  at  its  head  June 
10, 1863.  On  June  25th,  while  upon  the  march  to  Get- 
tysburg, he  was  assigned  to  its  permanent  command  by 
orders  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

General  Lee,  having  decided  upon  the  bold  measure 
of  carrying  the  war  into  the  North,  put  his  columns  into 
motion  with  that  view,  about  a  month  after  the  affair  at 
Chancellorville.  He  ascended  the  southern  bank  of  the 
river  at  Culpepper,  and,  after  some  movements,  designed 
to  disguise  his  main  purpose,  threw  his  army  northward, 
and,  in  due  time,  crossed  the  Potomac,  and  turned  through 
Western  Maryland  into  Pennsylvania.  The  earlier  move- 
ments of  Lee's  army  were  intended  to  induce  Hooker  to 
withdraw  from  the  line  of  the  Rappahannock.  This  last- 
named  general  seemed  to  have  been  slow  to  believe  that 
his  adversary  really  intended  an  invasion  into  Pennsyl- 
vania. Lee  had  made  great  progress  in  his  march,  and 
one  of  the  columns  had  entered  the  Yalley  of  the  Shen- 
andoah,  while  both  were  pressing  toward  the  Potomac, 
before  Hooker  moved  from  the  Rappahannock.  Hill's 
corps  still  occupied  Fredericksburg,  and  the  rest  of  Lee's 
army  was  stretched  along  the  route  between  that  point 
and  the  Potomac.  There  is  no  doubt  that  General 
Hooker  discovered  the  intention  of  the  Confederate 
army  in  this  northward  movement,  and  that  he  wished 
to  take  advantage  of  its  long  line  by  crossing  the  Rappa- 
hannock, cutting  Lee's  army  in  twain,  destroying  Hill's 
corps,  which  formed  its  rear,  and  then  pursuing  and  de- 


82  LJEE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

stroying  the  other  portions  of  it  in  detail.  Indeed, 
General  Hooker  had  suggested  this  plan  to  General  Hal- 
leek  and  the  President,  but  it  had  been  rejected.  He  had 
now  no  alternative  but  to  take  his  army  back  toward  the 
capital,  along  the  line  so  often  traversed,  via  Warren- 
ton,  Cattell  Station,  Fairfax  Station,  and  Manassas.  Here 
he  remained  for  several  days,  awaiting  the  unfolding  of 
the  enemy's  purpose.  So  soon  as  Hill  beheld  the  Union 
army  disappear  behind  Stafford,  he  left  his  position  at 
Fredericksburg,  marched  to  join  the  other  part  of  the 
Confederate  army,  and  the  entire  force  was  soon  thrown 
upon  Pennsylvania.  Jenkins,  with  his  cavalry,  followed 
as  far  as  Chambersburg,  carrying  consternation  to  the  un- 
protected people  of  Franklin,  Cumberland,  and  the  ad- 
jacent counties,  and,  on  his  return,  bringing  large  numbers 
of  cattle  and  horses,  which  he  had  gathered  in  those 
regions,  and  which  formed  a  seasonable  supply  for  his 
own  and  Swell's  forces,  which  met  him  at  Hagers- 
town. 

Meanwhile,  Hooker  could  not  cross  the  Potomac  un- 
til he  should  become  aware  of  his  adversary's  purpose, 
but,  when  sure  of  this,  he  marched  with  alacrity  to  over- 
take the  invaders.  At  this  time,  Heintzelman  command- 
ed the  Department  of  "Washington,  consisting  of  36,000 
men  ;  Schenck,  the  Middle  District,  including  the  region 
of  Harper's  Ferry ;  while  Dix  was  on  the  Peninsula  with 
a  considerable  force.  But,  after  Hooker  crossed  the  Po- 
tomac, Halleck  placed  all  these  forces  nominally  under 
his  control,  though,  inasmuch  as  the  method,  so  constantly 
in  vogue  daring  the  war,  of  directing  the  movements  of 
armies  from  Washington  was  still  popular,  and  as  these 
movements  were  hampered  by  conflicting  views,  as  well 
as  from  the  need  for  men  who  were  stationed  at  points 


HOOKER  RELIEVED  BY  GENERAL  MEADE.      $3 

where  they  were  utterly  useless,  General  Hooker,  on  the 
27th  of  June,  asked  to  be  relieved  from  the  command  of 
the  army,  and  on  the  28th,  a  messenger  arrived  at  his 
headquarters  at  Frederick,  Maryland,  with  an  order  ap- 
pointing Major-General  George  G.  Meade  in  his  place. 
The  latter  entered  upon  his  responsible  duties  in  a  quiet 
and  soldier-like  manner,  and  the  change  of  commanders 
occasioned  no  interruption  in  the  progress  of  the  army. 
By  a  variety  of  manoeuvres,  which  need  not  here  be  de- 
tailed, it  advanced  in  the  direction  of  Gettysburg. 
Meanwhile  some  of  Lee's  forces  had  penetrated  Pennsyl- 
vania as  far  as  York,  Carlisle,  and  the  Susquehanna  ;  but, 
upon  the  advance  of  the  Federal  army,  these  were  called 
in  and  concentrated  for  a  great  field  struggle.  Those 
which  were  at  Chambersburg  crossed  the  South  Moun- 
tain toward  Gettysburg,  and  those  that  were  nearer  the 
Susquehanna  converged  upon  the  same  point.  This  Lee 
probably  did  under  the  apprehension  that  Meade  would 
cut  off  his  communications.  In  fact,  but  for  Meade's 
manoeuvring,  Lee  would  have  crossed  the  Susquehanna 
and  struck  Harrisburg,  and  probably  have  made  a  dash 
upon  Philadelphia.  General  Meade  now  saw  that  a  great 
battle  was  inevitable,  but  could  not  foresee  where  it 
would  occur.  He  caused  careful  examination  of  the 
topography  of  the  country  to  be  made,  and,  upon  the 
whole,  preferred  in  his  own  mind  to  receive  battle  on  the 
line  of  Pipe-clay  Creek,  a  stream  running  a  few  miles 
southeast  of  Gettysburg;  but  it  was  otherwise  ordered. 
Buford's  division  of  cavalry,  being  thrown  out  to  the  left 
of  Meade's  advancing  army,  proceeded  in  reconnoissance, 
occupied  Gettysburg  on  June  30th,  and  pushed  farther 
on  north  and  west  in  the  direction  in  which  it  was  sup- 
posed Lee's  army  was  advancing.  The  next  day,  Gen- 


84:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

eral  Reynolds  was  directed  upon  the  same  point,  and, 
as  Hill  and  Longstreet  were  approaching  it,  the  hos- 
tile forces  came  in  collision  on  the  1st  of  July,  and 
on  that  day  .was  fought  the  preliminary  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Movements  of  the  Second  Army  Corps — March  by  Acquia  Creek  and  Dum- 
fries to  Centreville — General  Meade's  Headquarters  at  Taneytown — 
Interview  between  Generals  Meade  and  Hancock — Death  of  General 
Reynolds — Hancock  ordered  to  the  Front  in  Command  of  the  First, 
Third,  and  Eleventh  Corps — Copy  of  General  Meade's  Order — Directed 
to  select  the  Battle  Ground — Appoints  the  Field  of  Gettysburg. 

IT  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  enter  upon  an 
accurate  and  minute  description  of  the  important  battle 
of  Gettysburg ;  it  has  been  described  ably  and  compre- 
hensively, and  our  province  is  only  to  trace  the  career  of 
General  Hancock  in  this  terrible  and  magnificent  strug- 
gle, in  which  it  is  no  injustice  to  others  to  say  he  bore  a 
very  conspicuous,  and,  largely,  a  controlling  part.  Gen- 
eral Meade  was  the  commander  of  the  Union  army,  and 
deserves,  and  has  received,  high  honor  and  commendation 
for  the  ability  and  efficiency  with  which  he  handled  his 
forces.  But  it  so  happened  that  under  his  orders  General 
Hancock  selected  the  ground  for  the  great  conflict  of  the 
2d  and  3d  July,  and  established  that  arrangement  for  the 
battle  which  was  substantially  maintained  until  the  vic- 
tory was  won. 

Before  entering  upon  a  narration  of  Hancock's  opera- 
tions during  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  it  is  proper  to  trace 
his  movements  from  the  time  he  assumed  command  of 
the  Second  Corps  after  the  relief  of  General  Couch. 


86  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Major-General  D.  !N".  Couch  was  relieved  of  the  command 
of  the  Second  Army  Corps  on  the  9th  June,  1863,  in  pur- 
suance of  his  personal  request  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
and  General  Hancock  succeeded  to  the  command.  There 
was,  perhaps,  no  other  officer  of  the  army  so  strong  in  the 
confidence  of  the  corps,  or  who  could  have  succeeded 
Sumner  and  Couch  with  so  much  satisfaction  to  the 
troops.  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  and  Chancellorville 
had  raised  his  reputation  as  a  division  commander  to  the 
highest  point,  and  his  appointment  to  the  command  of 
the  corps  was  one  concerning  which  there  could  be  no 
question.  Indeed,  it  was  contemplated,  prior  to  General 
Couch's  retirement,  to  place  General  Hancock  in  com- 
mand of  the  cavalry  corps,  and  he  was  urged  strongly  by 
the  most  conspicuous  and  able  officers  of  the  cavalry  arm — 
General  John  Buford,  Colonel  Grimes  Davis,  and  others — 
to  accept  the  command.  General  Hancock  did  not  desire 
this  command,  but  finally  agreed  to  accept  it  for  the  com- 
ing battle  if  the  commander  deemed  it  necessary.  Cir- 
cumstances, however,  occurred,  making  an  immediate 
change  of  commanders  impracticable,  and,  before  the  mat- 
ter was  revived,  the  vacancy  in  the  command  of  the  Sec- 
ond Corps  occurred.  General  Caldwell  succeeded  Gen- 
eral Hancock  in  the  command  of  the  First  Division,  Second 
Corps,  the  other  divisions  being  commanded  by  Generals 
Gibbon  and  French. 

On  the  night  of  the  13th  and  morning  of  the  14th  of 
June,  1863,  the  corps  commenced  its  march,  forming  the 
rear-guard  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  confront  Lee's 
invasion  into  Pennsylvania.  It  moved  on  the  right  flank 
of  the  army  by  way  of  Acquia  Creek,  Dumfries,  Wolf 
Run  Shoals,  and  Sangster's  Station  to  Centreville.  This 
march  was  devoid  of  particular  incident,  though  the 


INTERVIEW  BETWEEN  MEADE  AND  HANCOCK.          87 

first  and  second  days  were  excessively  fatiguing  on  ac- 
count of  the  dust  and  heat.  The  corps  remained  at  Cen- 
treville  from  the  13th  to  the  21st,  when  it  moved  across 
Bull  Kun  to  Thoroughfare  Gap,  to  watch  the  passes  in 
the  mountains.  It  was  withdrawn  from  that  position  on 
the  24th,  and  simultaneously  the  Confederate  General 
Stewart's  cavalry  passed  up  the  turnpike  from  New  Bal- 
timore to  Gainesville,  and  at  Haymarket  fired  a  few 
shots  from  a  battery  into  the  flanks  of  the  corps.  The 
battery  was  rapidly  driven  off,  and  Stewart  proceeded  on 
the  raid  which  had  no  other  substantial  result  than  to 
deprive  Lee  of  his  important  services  at  Gettysburg  at 
the  most  critical  juncture. 

The  night  of  the  24th  the  corps  camped  at  Gum 
Spring.  General  Abercrombie's  troops  from  Centre- 
ville  joined  the  corps  at  this  point,  and,  as  General  Aber- 
crombie  was  with  it  but  one  day,  General  Alexander 
Hays  became  the  senior  officer  present  with  the  Third 
Division,  and  fell  to  its  command,  General  French  hav- 
ing been  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Third  Divi- 
sion on  the  24:th,  and  assigned  elsewhere. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  the  corps  crossed  the 
Potomac  at  Edward's  Ferry.  On  the  following  day  it 
moved  to  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  and  on  the  morning  of 
the  27th  to  Monocacy  Junction,  near  Frederick,  Mary- 
land. General  Meade  assumed  command  of  the  army  on 
this  day,  relieving  General  Hooker.  On  the  29th  the 
army  was  again  in  motion,  the  Second  Corps  reaching  a 
point  one  mile  beyond  Uniontown  at  10  p.  M.,  where  it 
halted.  Here  it  remained  until  the  morning  of  July 
1st,  when  it  marched  to  Taneytown,  arriving  there  about 
11  A.  M.  General  Hancock,  having  ridden  to  General 
Meade's  headquarters  and  reported  to  him  in  person,  was 


88  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

now  made  acquainted  with  the  army  commander's  plan 
to  deliver  battle  on  Pipe-clay  Creek. 

General  Hancock  had  hardly  returned  to  his  com- 
mand after  this  interview,  when  he  received  a  communi- 
cation from  General  Meade,  announcing  that  General 
Reynolds,  commanding  the  left  wing  of  the  army,  had 
been  killed  or  badly  wounded  in  a  conflict  with  the  ene- 
my in  front  of  Gettysburg,  and  directing  General  Han- 
cock to  proceed  to  the  front,  and,  in  case  of  the  truth 
of  General  Reynolds's  death,  assume  command  of  the 
Eleventh,  First,  and  Third  Corps. 

The  loss  of  General  Reynolds,  especially  at  this  time, 
when  General  Meade  relied  upon  his  ability  and  soldierly 
qualities,  in  view  of  the  coming  operations,  was  felt  as  a 
most  serious  blow. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  order  directing  Gen- 
eral Hancock  to  proceed  to  the  front  and  assume  com- 
mand of  the  troops  assembled  there : 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC, 

"July  1,  1863,  10  P.M. 

"  Commanding  Officer,  Second  Corps : 

"  The  Major-General  commanding  has  just  been  in- 
formed that  General  Reynolds  has  been  killed  or  badly 
wounded.  He  directs  that  you  turn  over  the  command  of 
your  corps  to  General  Gibbon ;  that  you  proceed  to  the 
front,  and,  by  virtue  of  this  order,  in  case  of  the  truth  of 
General  Reynolds's  death,  you  assume  command  of  the 
corps  there  assembled,  viz.,  the  Eleventh,  First,  and  Third 
at  Emmettsburg.  If  you  think  the  ground  and  position 
there  a  better  one  on  which  to  fight  a  battle,  under  exist- 
ing circumstances,  you  will  so  advise  the  General,  and  he 
will  order  all  the  troops  up.  You  know  the  General's 


COPY  OF  GENERAL  MEADE'S  ORDER.  §9 

views,  and  General  Warren,  who  is  fully  aware  of  them, 
has  gone  out  to  see  General  Reynolds." 

"Later,  1.15  P.  M. 

"Reynolds  has  possession  of  Gettysburg,  and  the 
enemy  are  reported  as  falling  back  from  the  front  of 
Gettysburg.  Hold  your  column  ready  to  move. 

"  Yery  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  "  D.  BUTTEKFIELD, 

u  Major-General,  and  Chief  of  Staff." 

It  will  be  observed  that  by  this  order  General  Meade 
placed  General  Gibbon  in  command  of  the  Second  Corps 
over  the  heads  of  his  two  seniors,  Hays  and  Caldwell ; 
that  General  Hancock  was  placed  in  command  over  his 
seniors — Generals  Howard  and  Sickles — and  that  Gen- 
eral Hancock  was  to  advise  General  Meade  whether  the 
ground  and  position,  under  existing  circumstances,  was  a 
"  better  one  "  on  which  to  fight  a  battle,  that  all  the 
troops  might  be  ordered  up.  The  copy  of  this  order 
filed  by  General  Meade  before  the  Committee  on  the 
Conduct  of  the  War  differs  by  some  error  from  the  order 
received  by  General  Hancock ;  and  differs  also  in  the  same 
particular  from  the  one  filed  with  the  same  committee 
by  General  Butterfield,  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  who  signed  the  original  order.  In  that  the  word 
"better"  is  placed  in  parenthesis,  and  the  word  "suit- 
able," which  does  not  occur  in  the  copy  received  by  Gen- 
eral Hancock,  is  inserted  immediately  after  it. 

General  Hancock  called  General  Meade's  attention  to 
the  fact  that  Generals  Howard  and  Sickles  ranked  him. 
General  Meade  replied  in  substance  that  he  could  not 
help  that ;  that  General  Hancock  knew  his  views ;  that 
this  was  an  emergency  in  which  he  could  not  stand  on 


90  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

such  a  point,  and  that  he  had  authority  to  assign  to  com- 
mand those  he  deemed  most  suited  for  the  occasion  with- 
out regard  to  rank.  This  explains  his  action  in  reference 
to  the  assignment  of  General  Gibbon  over  his  seniors 
also. 

General  Hancock  started  for  Gettysburg  immediately 
upon  receiving  General  Meade's  order,  turning  over  the 
command  of  the  Second  Corps  to  General  Gibbon,  accom- 
panied by  several  of  his  staff-officers,  and  rode  rapidly, 
closely  scanning  the  ground  on  the  route,  as  he  had  been 
instructed  by  General  Meade  to  do  with  a  view  of  noting 
the  defensive  positions  which  would  be  available,  should 
that  part  of  our  force  engaged  at  Gettysburg  retire  along 
that  road.  About  half  way  between  Taneytown  and 
Gettysburg,  an  ambulance  was  met,  accompanied  by  a 
single  staff -officer,  and  bearing  the  body  of  General 
Reynolds. 

As  General  Hancock  passed  along  the  road,  he  ordered 
all  trains  which  would  interfere  with  the  movements  of 
troops  either  way  to  march  as  rapidly  as  possibly  to  their 
destinations,  so  as  to  clear  the  road  of  obstruction. 

About  3.30  P.  M.  he  reached  Cemetery  Hill,  where  he 
met  General  Howard,  and  informed  him  that  he  had 
been  ordered  to  assume  command.  General  Howard  ac- 
quiesced. No  time  was  spent  in  conversation,  the  press- 
ing duty  of  the  moment  being  to  determine  our  line  of 
action,  and  to  restore  order  among  our  troops,  who  were 
then  retiring  hurriedly  through  the  town  of  Gettysburg, 
pursued  by  the  enemy.  Buford's  cavalry,  in  an  impos- 
ing array,  was  holding  the  open  ground  to  the  left  and 
front  of  Cemetery  Hill.  General  Buford  himself  was  on 
Cemetery  Hill  with  General  "Warren,  where  General 
Hancock  met  them  for  a  moment.  Generals  Howard, 


HANCOCK  RESTORES  ORDER.  91 

Warren,  and  Buford  all  gave  their  assistance  in  forming 
our  troops.  In  describing  this  particular  moment,  in  the 
progress  of  events,  Swinton  says  ("  Army  of  Potomac," 
page  334) :  "  As  the  confused  throng  was  pouring  through 
Gettysburg,  General  Hancock  arrived  on  the  ground. 
He  had  not  brought  with  him  his  tried  Second  Corps, 
but  had  ridden  forward  from  Taneytown,  under  orders 
from  General  Meade,  to  assume  command  and  use  dis- 
cretionary power,  either  to  retain  the  force  at  Gettysburg 
or  retire  it  to  the  proposed  line  of  Pipe-clay  Creek ;  but 
on  his  arrival  he  found  a  more  pressing  duty  forced  upon 
him ;  for  it  was  clear  that,  if  the  flight  of  the  shattered 
masses  of  the  First  and  Eleventh  Corps  was  not  stayed, 
a  great  disaster  must  follow.  In  such  an  emergency  it  is 
the  personal  qualities  of  a  commander  alone  that  tell. 
If,  happily,  there  is  in  him  that  mysterious  but  potent 
magnetism  that  calms,  subdues,  and  inspires,  there  results 
one  of  those  sudden  moral  transformations  that  are  among 
the  marvels  of  the  phenomena  of  battle.  This  quality 
Hancock  possesses  in  a  high  degree,  and  his  appearance 
soon  restored  order  out  of  seemingly  hopeless  confusion 
— a  confusion  which  Howard,  an  efficient  officer,  but  of 
rather  a  negative  nature,  had  not  been  able  to  quell." 

Yery  soon  the  enemy's  line  of  battle  was  seen  advanc- 
ing up  the  ravine  between  the  town  and  Gulp's  Hill,  south- 
east of  the  town.  Wadsworth's  division  (First  Corps)  and 
Hall's  Fifth  Maine  Battery  were  sent  at  once  to  the  west- 
ern slope  of  Gulp's  Hill,  which  important  position  they 
held  during  the  entire  battle.  The  brave  Wadsworth  was 
by  no  means  weakened  or  daunted  by  the  day's  work,  but 
was  still  full  of  fight.  With  reference  to  EwelPs  advance 
toward  Gulp's  Hill  on  the  evening  of  July  1,  Lee's  report 
says  :  "  General  Ewell  was  therefore  instructed  to  carry 


92  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  hill  occupied  by  the  enemy,  if  he  found  it  practicable, 
but  to  avoid  a  general  engagement  until  the  arrival  of  the 
other  divisions,  which  were  ordered  to  hasten  forward.    In 
the  mean  time  the  enemy  occupied  the  point  which  Gen- 
eral Ewell  designed  to  seize  (Gulp's  Hill)."  It  will  be  seen, 
therefore,  that  the  movements  just  narrated  were  very 
important  ones.     The  lines  having  been  established  to 
deter  the  enemy  from  further  advance,  General  Hancock 
dispatched  his  senior  aide-de-camp,  Major  "W.  G.  Mitchell, 
with  a  verbal  message  to  General  Meade,  that  "  General 
Hancock  could  hold  Cemetery  Hill  until  nightfall,  and 
that  he  considered  Gettysburg  the  place  to  fight  the  com- 
ing battle."     Major  Mitchell  left  the  battle-field  (Ceme- 
tery Hill)  about  4  p.  M.,  and  arrived  at  General  Meade's 
headquarters  between  6  and  7  P.  M.     Having  delivered 
General  Hancock's  message  to  General  Meade  in   the 
presence  of  General  Williams,  Adjutant-General  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  General  Meade  replied,  "  I  will 
order  up  the  troops."   The  following  is  the  disposition  of 
troops  as  made  by  General  Hancock  on  the  evening  of 
July  1st :  The  First  Corps,  except  Wadsworth's  division, 
which  was  posted  as  before  stated,  was  on  the  right  and 
left  of  the  Taneytown  road ;  the  Eleventh  Corps  on  the 
right  of  the  Taneytown  road  on  both  sides  of  the  Balti- 
more turnpike ;  Geary's  division  of  the  Twelfth  Corps, 
having  come  up  in  advance  of  its  corps  commander,  Gen- 
eral Slocum,  was  ordered  to  occupy  the  high  ground  (Lit- 
tle Hound  Top)  to  the  right  of  and  near  "  Round  Top," 
commanding  the  Gettysburg  and  Emmettsburg  road,  as 
well  as  the  road  to  our  rear. 


CHAPTEK  XI. 

Gettysburg — Disposition  of  the  Army — General  Sickles  engaged — The 
Third  Corps  repulsed  and  reenforced — General  Sickles  disabled — His 
Troops  placed  under  the  Command  of  Hancock — Our  Line  strengthened 
by  Doubleday's  Division  and  a  Portion  of  the  First  Corps — The  Enemy 
advancing  all  along  the  Line — Heavy  Fighting — General  Hancock 
reenforced  by  Part  of  Lockwood's  Brigade — Gallant  Charge  of  the 
First  Minnesota,  and  Capture  of  Rebel  Colors — Caldwell's  Division — 
Losses  of  the  First  Division,  Second  Army  Corps — The  Brave  Fifth 
New  Hampshire— Night  of  the  2d  of  July. 

THE  Second  Army  Corps,  which  had  been  directed  by 
General  Meade  to  follow  General  Hancock  to  Gettysburg, 
had  marched  from  Taneytown  about  1.30  P.  M.  of  the  1st, 
and  bivouacked  that  night  about  three  miles  from  Gettys- 
burg, in  a  position  to  secure  our  left  flank  from  any 
turning  movement  (around  Bound  Top)  by  the  enemy,  or 
from  any  seizure  of  the  road  leading  toward  Taneytown 
from  the  direction  of  Emmettsburg.  General  Hancock 
directed  a  regiment  of  the  Second  Corps  to  be  placed,  on 
the  evening  of  July  1st,  at  the  bridge  over  Pipe-clay 
Creek,  on  the  Taneytown  road,  so  as  to  secure  it  from  de- 
struction, and  to  keep  open  our  communications  with  the 
battle-field  and  to  the  rear. 

By  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  2d,  General  Han- 
cock joined  the  Second  Corps  (which  moved  on  to  the 
field  of  Gettysburg),  and  formed  it  on  the  left  of  the 
Eleventh  Corps,  prolonging  the  line  from  the  left  of 


94  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Cemetery  Hill  toward  Round  Top  until  it  connected  with 
the  Third  Corps.  The  divisions  were  posted  from  right 
to  left,  in  the  order  of  Hays,  Gibbon,  and  Caldwell. 
Each  division  had  one  of  its  brigades  in  the  rear  of  its 
line  in  reserve.  The  light  batteries  of  the  corps  were 
posted  from  right  to  left,  as  follows :  Woodruff's,  Ar- 
nold's, Cushing's,  Brown's,  and  Rorty's.  The  morning 
was  enlivened  by  some  very  sharp  skirmishing,  especially 
on  Hays's  front ;  with  this  exception,  and  some  irregular 
artillery  firing,  the  day  passed  in  comparative  quiet  until 
about  3  p.  M.,  when  the  Third  Corps  (General  Sickles) 
advanced  from  its  position  in  the  line  of  battle  toward 
the  "  peach-orchard  "  and  the  Emmettsburg  road.  By  this 
movement  the  Third  Corps  lost  connection  on  its  right 
and  left  flanks.  It  soon  became  heavily  engaged  with  the 
enemy.  Its  right  flank  was  separated  from  the  left  of 
the  Second  Corps,  and  in  this  interval  General  Gibbon, 
commanding  Second  Division,  Second  Corps,  placed  the 
Eighty-second  New  York  and  Fifteenth  Massachusetts 
regiments  of  infantry,  and  Brown's  Rhode  Island  Battery. 
The  enemy's  attack  on  Sickles  forced  him  back,  and,  an 
immediate  call  for  reinforcements  being  made,  General 
Hancock  was  directed  by  the  commander  of  the  army 
to  send  a  division  of  the  Second  Corps  to  the  assistance 
of  the  Third,  with  orders  to  report  to  Major-General 
Sykes,  commanding  Fifth  Corps,  whose  troops  were  then 
engaged  on  the  left  of  the  Third  Corps.  Caldwell's 
division  of  the  Second  Corps  was  sent  on  this  service. 
"Willard's  brigade,  Third  Division,  Second  Corps,  was  sent 
to  the  support  of  Birney's  division,  Third  Corps,  and  two 
regiments  (Devereux's  Nineteenth  Massachusetts,  and  Mel- 
Ion's  Forty-second  New  York)  to  the  assistance  of  Hum- 
phreys' division,  Third  Corps.  At  this  juncture  General 


SICKLES  DISABLED.  95 

Hancock  was  informed  by  General  Meade  that  General 
Sickles  was  disabled,  and  was  instructed  to  take  command 
of  the  Third  Corps  in  addition  to  his  own,  and  General 
Gibbon  again  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Second 
Corps.  General  Hancock  led  in  person  the  brigade  in- 
tended for  Birney's  support  toward  the  left  of  the  origi- 
nal line  of  battle  of  the  Third  Corps,  and  was  proceeding 
with  it  to  the  front  when  he  met  General  Birney,  who 
told  him  that  his  troops  had  all  been  forced  to  the  rear, 
abandoning  the  ground  to  which  General  Hancock  was 
marching  with  Willard's  brigade.  Humphreys'  division, 
Third  Corps,  was  still  in  position,  but,  the  enemy  pressing 
him  hard  in  front,  and  driving  him  at  all  points,  he  was 
forced  back  to  the  original  line  of  battle,  being  placed  by 
General  Hancock  on  the  line  vacated  by  Caldwell's  divi- 
sion, when  it  moved  to  General  Sickles'  support  earlier 
in  the  fight. 

In  regaining  this  line  General  Humphreys  suffered 
severe  losses,  but  succeeded  in  preserving  the  organiza- 
tion of  his  command.  The  Nineteenth  Massachusetts 
and  Forty-second  New  York  regiments,  which,  as  before 
stated,  had  been  sent  to  his  support,  had  not  arrived  on 
his  line  when  he  commenced  his  retreat,  but,  observing 
that  he  was  rapidly  retiring,  those  regiments  formed  line 
of  battle,  delivered  a  few  volleys,  and  then  retired  in 
good  order,  though  suffering  heavy  losses.  So  closely 
were  they  pressed  by  the  enemy  that  prisoners  were  cap- 
tured by  the  retreating  regiments.  Brown's  Khode  Isl- 
and Battery  and  the  regiments  of  Ward  (Fifth  Massa- 
chusetts) and  Huston  (Eighty-second  New  York),  before 
mentioned,  were  still  less  fortunate.  Having  done  good 
service  in  protecting  General  Humphreys'  right,  their 
left  was  exposed  to  the  enemy's  attack,  and  they  were 


96  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

forced  back,  losing  both  commanders  and  a  large  number 
of  other  officers  and  men.  The  battery  was  gallantly 
served,  but  continued  its  fire  so  long  that  it  could  not  be 
entirely  withdrawn,  one  gun  falling  into  the  enemy's 
hands.  Captain  Brown  received  a  dangerous  but  not  mor- 
tal wound.  Willard's  brigade  was  placed  by  General  Han- 
cock on  the  line  of  battle  at  the  point  through  which 
Birney's  troops  had  retired,  and,  as  the  enemy  were  fol- 
lowing sharply,  the  brigade  became  almost  immediately 
engaged,  losing  heavily.  Colonel  Willard  was  struck  in 
the  face  by  a  piece  of  bursting  shell  and  killed,  in  Gen- 
eral Hancock's  presence,  at  the  moment  when  the  Gen- 
eral had  given  him  his  instructions.  The  reinforcement 
for  which  General  Hancock  had  sent  to  General  Meade 
now  began  to  come  up,  and  our  line  was  strengthened  by 
Doubleday's  division  and  a  portion  of  Robinson's  division 
(First  Corps).  The  enemy  were  then  advancing  along 
nearly  the  entire  front  of  General  Hancock's  line.  Gib- 
bon's troops  promptly  checked  the  enemy's  attack  from 
the  direction  of  the  brick  house  on  the  Emmettsburg  road, 
and  the  lost  gun  of  Brown's  battery  was  recaptured. 

The  Nineteenth  Maine,  Colonel  Heath,  bore  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  this  operation.  When  it  was  seen  that 
the  enemy  were  following  the  broken  troops  of  the  Third 
Corps  in  great  force,  General  Hancock  dispatched  Major 
Mitchell,  his  senior  aid,  to  General  Meade  for  reenforce- 
ments.  Major  Mitchell  met  General  Meade  just  as  the 
latter  was  riding  down  the  Taneytown  road  near  his  head- 
quarters (a  small  white  house),  and  delivered  General 
Hancock's  request  to  him.  General  Lockwood,  with  part 
of  his  brigade  (two  regiments),  was  then  marching  down 
that  road,  and  the  head  of  his  column  had  just  passed  the 
house  mentioned.  General  Meade  said  that  those  troops 


GALLANT  CHARGE  OF  THE  FIRST  MINNESOTA.          97 

should  go  to  General  Hancock,  and  sent  one  of  his  staff 
with  Major  Mitchell  to  so  inform  General  Loekwood. 
When  that  officer  received  the  orders  from  General 
Meade,  he  asked  Major  Mitchell  to  point  out  the  posi- 
tion he  was  required  to  move  to,  when  Major  Mitchell 
told  him  to  have  the  fence  thrown  down,  just  where  the 
head  of  his  column  had  halted,  and  to  move  at  once  up 
to  the  crest  of  the  hill.  This  was  promptly  done ;  the 
troops  moved  through  the  passage  in  the  fence,  formed 
line,  and,  guided  by  Major  Mitchell,  who  remained  with 
General  Lockwood,  moved  up  to  the  crest,  and  at  once 
came  into  action  on  the  left  of  the  troops  of  the  Second 
Corps.  This  part  of  our  line  was  not  continuous,  owing 
to  Caldwell's  division  having  been  taken  out  of  it,  and 
the  breaking  of  Sickles'  corps  leaving  a  space  which  of- 
fered to  the  enemy  a  good  opportunity  to  penetrate  our 
lines.  While  General  Hancock  was  riding  along  the 
line,  approaching  the  position  of  the  Second  Corps,  he 
observed  a  Rebel  regiment  about  penetrating  one  of  the 
intervals,  firing  as  it  advanced,  Captain  Miller,  one  of 
the  General's  aides,  who  was  riding  at  his  side,  being 
wounded  severely  by  its  fire.  Turning  to  one  of  our 
regiments  which  was  approaching  in  column  of  fours 
to  protect  that  point,  General  Hancock  said  to  the  com- 
mander, pointing  to  the  Rebel  flag :  "  Do  you  see  those 
colors?"  "Yes,  sir."  "Well,  capture  them."  The 
commander  smiled  and  said,  "  I  will,  General."  The  regi- 
ment charged  as  it  was  formed,  in  column  of  fours,  in  the 
most  gallant  manner,  dispersing  the  Rebel  regiment  and 
capturing  its  colors  and  a  number  of  prisoners.  While 
General  Hancock  was  absent,  wounded,  after  Gettys- 
burg, he  caused  inquiry  to  be  made  with  a  view  of  ascer- 
taining the  regiment  which  had  made  this  brilliant  attack, 


98  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

as  he  desired  to  recommend  its  commander  for  promo- 
tion. Knowing  that  several  corps  were  represented  at 
or  near  that  portion  of  our  line,  he  caused  a  circular 
letter  to  be  sent  to  the  different  corps  commanders  to 
obtain  the  required  information.  In  this  letter  he  de- 
scribed the  commander  of  the  regiment  and  his  horse. 
Strange  to  say,  several  claimants  were  found  for  the 
honor,  but  the  regiment  was  in  truth  one  of  the  General's 
own  corps,  the  heroic  First  Minnesota. 

In  this  attack,  and  the  subsequent  advance  upon  the 
enemy,  that  regiment  lost  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  its 
numbers.  One  of  Stannard's  Yermont  regiments  after- 
ward advanced  upon  the  right  of  the  First  Minnesota, 
and  was  instrumental  in  bringing  off  the  abandoned  guns 
of  one  of  our  batteries,  from  which  the  cannoneers  had 
been  driven,  and  which  was  then  under  the  enemy's  fire. 

"With  the  assistance  of  the  reinforcements  sent  to 
him,  General  Hancock  was  speedily  enabled  to  repulse 
the  enemy,  and  to  reestablish  the  line  as  it  had  been  be- 
fore the  Third  Corps  moved  out  toward  the  Emmettsburg 
road.  Colonel  Sherrill  succeeded  to  Colonel  Willard  in 
command  of  the  brigade  of  the  Third  Division,  and  with 
it  made  a  gallant  advance  on  the  enemy's  batteries  to  the 
right  of  the  brick  house.  The  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh 
New  York,  Colonel  McDougall  commanding,  bore  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  this"  advance.  The  brigade  lost  fifty  per 
cent,  of  its  numbers,  and  showed  by  its  gallant  conduct  on 
that  field  that  its  capture  at  Harper's  Ferry  the  year 
before  was  not  due  to  lack  of  mettle.  Colonel  Sherrill 
was  killed  the  next  day  (the  3d),  and  Colonel  McDougall 
being  wounded,  left  the  brigade  in  command  of  a  lieu- 
tenant-colonel. 

It  is  now  time  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  Caldwell's 


CALDWELL'S  DIVISION.  99 

division  (First),  Second  Corps.  As  it  neared  the  line 
General  Sykes  had  been  ordered  to  assume  on  the  left  of 
the  Third  Corps,  it  was  met  by  a  staff  officer  of  General 
Sykes,  and  moved  forward,  part  of  the  time  at  the  double 
quick,  into  the  interval  between  the  Third  and  Fifth 
Corps,  with  orders  to  check  and  drive  back  the  enemy. 
The  First  Brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel  Edward  E. 
Cross,  Fifth  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  was  in  the  ad- 
vance, and  drove  the  enemy  in  splendid  style  across  the 
wheat-field  in  its  front.  The  Second  and  Third  Brigades, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Patrick  Kelly,  Eighty-eighth  ISTew 
York  Volunteers,  and  Brigadier-General  Zook,  were  also 
put  in  to  extend  the  line  toward  the  Third  Corps,  and 
likewise  drove  the  enemy  before  them.  The  Fourth 
Brigade,  Colonel  John  P.  Brooke  commanding,  was  after- 
ward directed  to  advance  to  relieve  the  First  Brigade, 
which  was  hard  pressed.  "With  his  accustomed  gallan- 
try and  energy,  Brooke  pushed  his  line  farther  to  the 
front  than  any  other  of  our  troops  advanced  during  the 
battle,  and  gained  a  position  impregnable  from  an  attack 
in  his  front  and  of  great  tactical  importance.  Brooke 
himself  was  slightly  wounded.  Having  thus  established 
the  line  of  his  division,  and  having  been  reenforced  by 
Sweitzer's  brigade  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  General  Caldwell 
passed  to  the  right  with  a  view  of  making  a  connection 
between  his  division  and  the  left  of  the  Third  Corps, 
but  found  all  the  troops  there  broken  and  retreating  un- 
der the  pressure  of  the  enemy,  and  before  Caldwell  could 
change  front  the  enemy  gained  the  ground  on  his  right 
and  rear,  and  compelled  his  division  to  retire  to  a  position 
near  the  Taneytown  road,  where  it  remained  until  re- 
lieved by  a  part  of  the  Twelfth  Corps. 

On  returning  to  the  Second  Corps,  on  the  evening  of 


100  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

July  2d,  Caldwell  took  up  position  on  the  left  of  the  other 
division  of  the  corps,  covering  the  ground  vacated  by  the 
Third  Corps,  but  not  closely  connecting  with  the  Second 
Corps.  The  interval  between  his  right  and  the  left  of 
Gibbon's  division  was  filled  by  troops  of  the  First  Corps, 
which  had  been  sent  up  during  the  day's  battle  to  reen- 
force  our  line.  It  thus  happened  that  Cald well's  division 
was  separated,  and  took  no  very  active  part  in  repulsing 
the  enemy's  final  assault  on  the  3d.  Had  the  division 
resumed  its  proper  place  in  the  line  when  it  returned 
from  General  Sykes  on  the  2d,  the  grand  attack  of  the 
3d  would  have  been  met  entirely  by  the  Second  Corps, 
and  its  measure  of  glory  would  have  been  greater,  if 
possible. 

The  losses  of  the  First  Division  in  its  operations  on  the 
2d  were  over  twelve  hundred  ;  its  whole  strength  engaged 
being  but  a  little  over  three  thousand  men.  Two  of  its 
brigade  commanders,  Brigadier-General  Zook  and  Colonel 
Cross,  were  killed,  and  a  third,  Colonel  Brooke,  was 
wounded.  Colonel  Richard  P.  Roberts,  One  Hundred 
and  Fortieth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  was  also  among 
the  killed  in  that  division. 

Colonel  Cross  was  an  eccentric  character,  but  an  in- 
valuable soldier.  He  was  a  rigid  disciplinarian,  and  used 
to  say  his  regiment,  the  Fifth  New  Hampshire,  dared  not 
go  back  without  orders.  It  would  seem  as  if  some  one 
had  neglected  to  give  them  their  orders  at  Gettysburg, 
for  that  heroic  regiment,  numbering  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  muskets,  had  over  one  hundred  casualties,  and 
the  killed  exceeded  in  numbers  the  wounded. 

If  Colonel  Cross  ever  knew  fear,  it  was  not  known  to 
others.  He  had  been  wounded  severely  several  times,  and 
was  conspicuous  on  every  field  for  his  defiant  bravery. 


NIGHT   OF   THE  SECOXD   OF  JULY.  10 j 

At  Chancellorville,  on  the  morning  of  May  3d,  when 
our  lines  were  about  to  be  withdrawn,  Colonel  Cross 
made  up  his  mind  that  the  affair  was  "  played  out,"  as  he 
expressed  it,  and,  seating  himself  on  the  ground  in  front 
of  his  regiment,  in  the  most  composed  manner,  with  the 
lid  of  a  cracker-box  for  a  desk,  indited  his  report  of  the 
battle  under  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery.  He  had  led  an 
adventurous  life  before  the  war,  one  of  its  incidents  hav- 
ing been  a  duel  with  Sylvester  Mowry  in  Arizona. 

Here  occurred  a  curious  instance  of  prevision  of  im- 
pending death.  On  the  morning  of  the  2d,  General 
Hancock  said  to  Colonel  Cross :  "  Colonel,  I  feel  satisfied 
that  to-day  will  bring  you  your  promotion."  The  reply 
was :  "  General,  this  is  my  last  day." 

It  was  nearly  dark  on  the  2d  when  the  action  had 
entirely  ceased  on  the  front  of  the  Second  Corps  ;  and  it 
was  soon  followed  by  very  heavy  firing  on  General  How- 
ard's line  on  Cemetery  Hill.  This  firing  seeming  to  come 
nearer  and  nearer,  General  Hancock  directed  General  Gib- 
bon to  send  Carroll's  brigade  of  Hays's  division  to  report 
to  General  Howard  at  once  to  reenforce  him  ;  and,  hear- 
ing sharp  firing  at  the  same  time  still  further  to  the  right, 
on  Slocum's  line,  and  fearing  that  the  troops  which  the 
latter  had  sent  to  his  assistance  had  left  him  insufficient 
force,  General  Hancock  ordered  that  two  regiments  should 
be  sent  to  Slocum  (Twelfth  Corps).  By  some  mistake 
these  regiments  also  went  to  General  Howard,  instead  of 
to  their  intended  destination. 

When  Carroll's  brigade  arrived  on  Howard's  front, 
the  enemy  had  nearly  carried  the  position.  The  artillery- 
men in  Stewart's  and  Eickett's  batteries  ("  B,"  Fourth 
United  States  Artillery,  and  "  F,"  First  Pennsylvania) 
were  defending  themselves  with  sponge-staffs  and  ram- 


102  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

mers,  or  whatever  they  could  lay  hands  on,  the  bugler  of 
Rickett's  battery  having  had  his  brains  knocked  out  by  a 
trail-handspike  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  enemy. 

Carroll  formed  his  line  as  best  he  could  in  the  dark- 
ness, and  with  stentorian  tones  ordered  the  charge  and 
swept  the  hill.  It  was  thought  afterward  that  the  ser- 
vices rendered  by  Carroll's  brigade  were  not  so  generous- 
ly acknowledged,  in  General  Howard's  official  report,  as 
they  should  have  been,  and  several  letters  were  subse- 
quently published  on  the  subject,  the  point  in  controversy 
being,  not  how  well  Carroll's  troops  did,  for  as  to  this 
there  was  no  question,  but  as  to  the  pinch  to  which 
Howard  was  reduced  when  Carroll  arrived  to  sustain  him. 
General  Howard  himself  admitted  that  affairs  were  criti- 
'cal,  and  the  reinforcements  unexpected — although  it  was 
afterward  claimed  that  the  brigade  was  sent  in  pursuance 
of  a  request  from  General  Howard.  But,  in  fact,  the  bri- 
gade was  sent  by  General  Hancock,  solely  upon  his  own 
motion  and  responsibility,  when  he  heard  the  heavy  firing 
at  that  point.  General  Howard  may  have  sent  a  request 
to  General  Hancock  for  help,  but,  if  so,  it  was  not  re- 
ceived, and  was  not  the  cause  of  his  action  in  the  prem- 
ises. The  brigade  was  retained  during  the  remainder  of 
the  battle,  as  well  as  one  of  two  regiments  which,  as  has 
been  stated,  joined  him  by  mistake. 


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CHAPTER  XIL 

Gettysburg — Council  of  War — The  Last  Day;  July  3d — Heavy  Artillery 
Firing — General  Hancock  and  Staff  ride  along  the  Line  of  Battle,  under 
a  Heavy  Fire — Advance  of  the  Enemy's  Line — Gallant  Bearing  of  Gen- 
eral Hancock — Fierce  Attack  by  the  Rebel  Infantry,  18,000  strong — 
The  Battle  wavers — Desperate  Fighting  in  All  Directions — The  Enemy 
repulsed — General  Hancock  shot  from  his  Horse — Message  to  General 
Meade,  "  We  have  gained  a  Great  Victory  " — The  Commander-in-Chief 
thanks  General  Hancock  "  in  the  Name  of  the  Country  and  for  Myself 
for  the  Service  he  has  done  this  Day  " — General  Hancock  carried  from 
the  Field — He  is  removed  to  his  Father's  House  at  Norristown,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

ON"  the  evening  of  the  2d,  after  dark,  while  the  firing 
still  continued  on  Howard's  and  Slocum's  front,  a  council 
of  war  was  held  at  General  Meade's  headquarters,  which 
General  Hancock  attended  as  commander  of  the  left  cen- 
ter of  the  army,  General  Gibbon  being  present  as  the  im- 
mediate commander  of  the  Second  Corps,  and  General 
Birney  as  commander  of  the  Third  Corps. 

The  question  was  submitted  to  the  council  whether 
there  should  be  any  change  in  the  position  of  the  army. 
On  this  question  the  vote  appears  to  have  been  unanimous 
to  remain,  though  one  or  two  generals  present  expressed 
the  opinion  that  Gettysburg  was  not  the  place  to  fight  the 
battle — or  not  an  advantageous  one. 

The  forenoon  of  the  3d  passed  in  comparative  quiet, 
as  far  as  General  Hancock's  infantry  was  concerned, 


104  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

though  the  artillery  was  frequently  and  warmly  engaged. 
The  heavy  and  continuous  firing  in  front  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps  indicated  that  the  main  efforts  of  the  enemy  were 
on  that  point. 

From  11  A.  M.  until  about  1  p.  M.  the  silence  was  omi- 
nous, this  being  the  interval  of  time  when  the  enemy 
was  placing  his  artillery  and  forming  his  lines  for  the 
grand  attack  on  the  third  day.  About  the  latter  hour 
the  cannonade  opened  upon  our  lines  from  one  hundred 
and  twenty  guns,  as  if  at  a  preconcerted  signal.  General 
Hancock  was  with  General  Meade  and  other  general  offi- 
cers at  that  time,  just  in  rear  of  the  line  of  battle  of  the 
Second  Corps,  and  was  engaged  in  dictating  an  order  to 
one  of  his  staff,  when  the  first  shell  fell  into  his  group, 
killing  one  man  and  wounding  several  others.  The  shells 
now  fell  thicker  and  faster  every  moment,  indicating 
plainly  important  impending  events,  and  sending  each 
one  speeding  to  his  post.  General  Hancock  rode  at  once 
to  the  right  of  his  line  of  battle,  and  from  thence  passed 
along  it  for  a  mile  or  more,  with  his  staff  and  orderlies, 
under  a  furious  fire,  to  its  extreme  left,  in  order  to  inspire 
confidence  among  his  troops. 

The  batteries  on  our  line  responded  promptly  to  the 
enemy's  fire,  but  were  greatly  inferior  in  numbers,  we 
having  but  about  eighty  guns  in  position  at  that  time. 
Our  artillery  fire  (in  obedience  to  instructions  from  army 
headquarters)  was  not  maintained  as  fully  as  it  could  have 
been,  owing  to  the  fact  that  our  reserve  ammunition  was 
not  abundant.  General  Hancock  insisted  that  the  enemy 
should  be  stoutly  answered  by  the  batteries  on  his  line, 
and  especially  by  those  placed  at  our  weakest  points,  which 
it  was  desirable  should  not  be  attacked,  feeling  confident 
that  an  infantry  assault  was  impending  against  his  lines, 


ADVANCE  OF  THE  ENEMY'S  LINE.  105 

and  because  of  the  moral  effect  a  cessation  of  our  artillery 
fire  would  have  upon  our  men.  Nearly  all  of  our  ammu- 
nition, canister  excepted,  was  expended.  During  this 
fire  quite  a  number  of  caissons  on  our  line  were  blown 
up — four  in  Thomas's  battery  alone,  and  the  troops,  espe- 
cially the  artillery,  suffered  severely  during  the  cannon- 
ade, it  being  generally  posted  on  the  high  ground  in  rear 
of  the  infantry.  Its  losses,  in  horses  and  material,  were 
particularly  great. 

After  the  artillery  firing  had  continued  for  an  hour 
and  three  quarters,  it  slackened,  and  a  strong  line  of  the 
enemy's  skirmishers  immediately  advanced  from  the 
fringe  of  woods  beyond  the  Emmettsburg  road,  followed 
by  an  attacking  column  composed  of  about  18,000  infan- 
try, led  by  Pickett's  division  in  double  line  of  battle,  the 
brigades  of  Kemper  and  Garnett  in  front,  and  Armistead's 
brigade  supporting.  On  his  right  was  "Wilcox's  brigade, 
formed  in  column  of  battalions,  and  on  his  left  Heth's 
division.  As  soon  as  the  enemy's  skirmishers  made  their 
appearance,  General  Hancock  again  rode  along  his  lines 
to  the  right  to  encourage  the  troops,  and  to  notify  the  com- 
manders that  the  enemy  was  about  to  make  his  assault. 
It  was  quite  remarkable  that  the  General's  favorite  horse, 
one  he  had  ridden  in  many  battles,  and  always  found  re- 
liable, became  so  terrified,  just  as  the  enemy's  column 
was  approaching  our  line,  that  it  became  utterly  power- 
less, and  could  not  be  forced  to  move  when  the  General 
wished  to  ride  to  the  threatened  point.  He  was  therefore 
obliged  to  borrow  a  horse  from  one  of  his  staff,  Captain 
Brownson  (son  of  Eev.  Orestes  Brownson),  Commissary  of 
Musters,  Second  Corps,  dismounting  that  officer,  and  say- 
ing to  him:  "You  can  afford  to  have  a  horse  of  this 
kind,  Captain,  on  such  an  occasion  as  this,  but  I  can  not." 


106  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Captain  Brownson  was  a  reliable  and  gallant  young  of- 
ficer, and  was  killed  the  following  year  at  the  battle  of 
Beam's  Station. 

On  arriving  at  the  right  of  his  line,  he  discovered 
that  the  troops  across  the  Taneytown  road,  on  Ceme- 
tery Hill,  had  been  withdrawn  during  his  absence,  and 
fearing  an  attack  at  that  point,  from  the  manner  in  which 
the  enemy's  bullets  were  striking  the  fence  in  front  as 
he  passed  by,  he  rode  down  to  General  Meade's  head-- 
quarters, a  few  hundred  yards,  to  ask  that  troops  might 
be  sent  there  at  once  from  another  command  to  fill  the 
gap.  Finding,  however,  that  General  Meade  had  left  his 
headquarters,  he  rode  to  the  point  of  assault,  the  troops 
cheering  him  as  he  passed  by  them  along  the  lines.  The 
assaulting  column  was  then  advancing  rapidly.  Our  men 
evinced  a  striking  disposition  to  withhold  their  fire  for 
close  quarters,  and  the  enemy's  advance  had  been  for  a 
time  opposed  only  by  an  irregular  artillery  fire.  Alex. 
Hays  had  several  regiments  posted  well  to  the  front  be- 
hind stone  walls,  and  on  his  extreme  right  was  Wood- 
ruff's battery  of  light  twelves.  Whether  the  fire  was 
closer  here,  or  whether,  as  some  claim,  the  troops  in  Pet- 
tigrew's  command  were  not  as  well  seasoned  to  war  as 
Pickett's  men,  it  is  certain  that  the  attack  on  Hays  was 
very  speedily  repulsed.  That  it  was  pressed  with  res- 
olution was  attested  by  the  dead  and  wounded  on  the 
field,  which  were  as  numerous  on  Hays's  front  as  on  any 
other  part  of  it.  The  execution  by  the  canister  of 
Woodruff's  battery  at  this  point  was  very  great.  The 
enemy  closed  in  toward  their  center  to  escape  it,  seeing 
which  young  Woodruff  ordered  a  section  to  advance  to 
secure  an  enfilade  fire.  While  pointing  to  the  proposed 
position,  he  was  shot  in  the  side  and  fell  from  his  horse. 


DESPERATE  FIGHTING  INT  ALL  DIRECTIONS.          1Q7 

The  mortal  wound,  however,  did  not  prevent  him  from 
urging  the  execution  of  his  order.  On  the  left  of  the 
line,  fire  was  first  opened  upon  the  enemy  from  two 
regiments  of  Stannard's  Yermont  brigade,  First  Army 
Corps,  which  were  placed  in  a  small  grove  some  dis- 
tance in  front  of  and  obliquely  to  the  main  line.  Either 
to  escape  this  fire,  or  for  some  other  reason,  the  enemy's 
right  closed  in  to  their  left,  so  that  the  center  was  urged 
forward  against  Gibbon's  division  by  the  pressure  of  both 
wings.  Two  regiments  of  Webb's  brigade  of  that  divis- 
ion, the  Sixty-ninth  and  Seventy-first  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers, were  posted  behind  a  low  stone  wall  and  breast- 
work of  rail,  hastily  constructed  on  the  slope  toward  the 
enemy.  The  rest  of  this  brigade  was  behind  the  crest, 
some  sixty  paces  in  the  rear,  so  posted  as  to  enable  them 
to  fire  over  the  heads  of  the  two  regiments  in  front. 
When  the  enemy's  line  had  nearly  reached  the  stone 
wall,  the  greater  portion  of  the  advanced  regiments 
retired  to  the  main  line,  but  were  rallied  on  the  line  in 
the  rear  by  General  Webb  and  his  officers.  It  was 
thought  at  the  time  that  this  movement  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  these  regiments  were  isolated  from  their  bri- 
gade, and  were  posted  on  a  down-hill  slope.  Whatever 
the  reason,  their  partial  retreat  emboldened  the  enemy 
to  push  their  advantage,  numbers  of  them  crossing  our 
breastworks,  led  by  General  Armistead,  who  had  the 
advance  of  the  enemy's  column.  At  this  moment  Cush- 
ing's  guns,  which  were  in  advance  of  Webb's  general 
line,  seemed  likely  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
and  Lieutenant  Gushing,  their  gallant  commander,  was 
instantly  killed. 

About  this  time  General  Gibbon  was  severely  wounded. 
General  Hancock  passing  along  at  this  moment,  Colonel 


108  LIFE  OF   W INFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

Devereux  (Nineteenth  Massachusetts  Volunteers)  begged 
to  be  permitted  to  move  his  regiment  to  the  point  of 
danger ;  General  Hancock  granted  his  request,  and  his 
regiment  and  Colonel  Mellon's  Forty-second  New  York 
were  at  once  moved  accordingly.  Hall's  brigade  of  Gib- 
bon's division  was  also  moved  by  the  right  flank  (the 
enemy  having  been  repulsed  in  his  front),  and  was  imme- 
diately followed  by  Harrow's  brigade  of  the  same  division. 
These  movements  led  to  some  confusion,  owing  princi- 
pally to  the  fact  that  some  of  their  men  left  their  ranks 
while  they  were  marching  by  the  flank  to  fire  at  the 
enemy,  and  regimental  organizations  were,  in  a  measure, 
lost.  But  individually  all  were  firm. 

"Webb,  Hall,  Mellon,  Devereux,  and  other  gallant  of- 
ficers carried  the  men  forward,  and  a  color-sergeant  of  the 
Seventy-second  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  advancing  with 
his  colors,  the  men  pressed  firmly  on,  and  after  a  few 
moments  of  desperate  fighting,  almost  breast  to  breast,  the 
enemy's  line  was  broken.  They  sought  safety  in  flight, 
and  threw  themselves  on  the  ground,  as  a  means  of  sur- 
render, to  escape  our  fire.  General  Hunt,  Chief  of  Ar- 
tillery, Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  also  at  the  front  of  the 
assault  at  this  time,  and  behaved  with  great  personal 
gallantry ;  and  Major  Mitchell  (General  Hancock's  Adju- 
tant-General) and  Lieutenant  Haskell,  both  on  horse- 
back, were  in  the  front  rank  of  the  troops  engaged  in 
this  final  struggle.  General  Hancock  himself,  seeing 
some  troops  unfavorably  placed  somewhat  to  the  left  and 
front,  rode  across  to  them  ;  but,  before  reaching  them, 
he  met  a  small  detachment  which  he  supposed  to  be  a 
decimated  battalion  of  the  Second  Corps,  which  was 
firing  into  the  enemy's  flank.  As  it  contained  but  fifteen 
or  twenty  files,  he  thought  it  too  small  to  effect  much, 


GENERAL   HANCOCK  SHOT  FROM   HIS  HORSE.         1Q9 

and  ordered  it  to  fall  back  to  the  line  of  the  troops  before 
mentioned  (Stannard's  Yermont  brigade),  telling  the  com- 
mander he  would  advance  them  altogether.  From  thence 
General  Hancock  passed  along  the  front  of  Stannard's 
line  (which  was  lying  down  in  ranks),  and  behind  it  to 
the  right,  when  he  met  General  Stanuard,  and  directed 
him  to  send  two  of  his  regiments  to  attack  the  enemy's 
right. 

Turning  again  toward  the  point  of  assault,  to  which 
the  enemy  still  adhered,  General  Hancock  was  shot  from 
his  horse.  At  the  moment  the  General  was  hit,  all  of  his 
staff  officers  were  absent  from  him  on  other  parts  of  the 
field,  and  he  was  accompanied  only  by  his  tried  and  faith- 
ful color-bearer,  Private  James  Wells,  Sixth  New  York 
Cavalry.  The  General  was  caught  as  he  was  falling  from 
his  horse  by  Lieutenants  Hooker  and  Benedict,  of  General 
Stannard's  staff.  Major  Mitchell,  meanwhile,  had  ridden 
to  Stannard's  brigade  and  given  an  order  in  the  Gener- 
al's name  (but  not  knowing  that  the  General  had  already 
given  the  order,  or  that  he  was  present  and  wounded)  to 
attack  the  enemy  in  flank. 

In  about  fifteen  minutes  the  Medical  Director  of  the 
Second  Corps,  Surgeon  M.  A.  Dougherty,  arrived  at  the 
point  where  the  General  lay  wounded,  and  immediately 
extracted  from  the  wound  several  splinters  of  wood, 
some  small  pieces  of  lead,  and  a  wrought-iron  nail,  which 
the  ball  had  carried  with  it,  as  it  passed  through  the  Gen- 
eral's saddle  before  it  struck  him.  The  nail  wrapped  itself 
around  the  ball,  and  the  latter  was  flattened  by  striking 
the  saddle  and  the  bone  of  the  General's  thigh.  Mean- 
while, an  ambulance  had  been  sent  for,  and,  after  some 
time,  the  General  was  placed  in  it  and  removed  to  the 
field  hospital  of  the  Second  Corps.  A  few  moments  after 


HO  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  General  was  shot,  Major  Mitchell  joined  him,  and, 
as  soon  as  he  (General  Hancock)  saw  that  the  enemy's  as- 
sault was  really  broken — he  could  see  the  field  by  turning 
partly  on  his  side,  and  raising  himself  on  his  elbow — he 
directed  Major  Mitchell  to  ride  to  General  Meade  with  the 
following  message :  "  Tell  General  Meade  that  the  troops 
under  my  command  have  repulsed  the  enemy's  assault, 
and  that  we  have  gained  a  great  victory.  The  enemy  is 
now  flying  in  all  directions  in  my  front."  Major  Mit- 
chell also  informed  General  Meade  that  General  Han- 
cock had  been  dangerously  wounded.  General  Meade 
returned  the  following  reply  to  this  message :  "  Say  to 
General  Hancock  that  I  regret  exceedingly  that  he  is 
wounded,  and  that  I  thank  him  in  the  name  of  the  coun- 
try and  for  myself  for  the  service  he  has  rendered  to- 
day." 

As  General  Hancock  was  leaving  the  line  of  battle,  he 
caused  his  ambulance  to  be  stopped,  while  he  dictated 
to  Surgeon  Dougherty,  Medical  Director,  a  note  to  Gen- 
eral Meade,  the  substance  of  which  was  as  follows  :  "  We 
have  won  a  victory,  and  nothing  is  wanted  to  make  it 
decisive  but  that  you  should  carry  out  your  intention.* 
I  have  been  severely,  but  I  trust  not  seriously,  wounded. 
I  did  not  leave  the  field  so  long  as  there  was  a  rebel  to  be 
seen  upright." 

No  copy  of  this  note  was  retained  by  General  Han- 


*This  had  reference  to  a  previous  conversation  between  Generals 
Meade  and  Hancock,  in  which  General  Meade  had  expressed  his  intention 
of  putting  in  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps,  if  Hancock  was  attacked.  (See 
"Keport  of  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,"  vol.  i,  1865,  page  48, 
and  General  George  Sykes's  [Commander  of  Fifth  Corps  at  Gettysburg] 
letter  to  editor  of  "Washington  Chronicle,"  dated  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  December  9,  1856.) 


HE   IS  FINALLY  CONVEYED   TO   NORRISTOWN. 

cock.  It  is  presumed  the  original  remained  in  General 
Meade's  possession. 

This  ended  General  Hancock's  connection  with  the 
memorable  battle  of  Gettsyburg.  From  the  field  hospi- 
tal he  was  conveyed  to  the  railway  at  Westminster,  when 
he  was  placed  in  a  car  and  earned  to  Baltimore,  and  from 
thence  to  Philadelphia,  and  finally  to  his  father's  house 
at  Norristown,  Pennsylvania. 

It  was  at  first  supposed  that  his  wound  was  caused 
by  an  explosive  bullet ;  but  after  the  battle  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  ball  had  passed  through  the  pommel  of 
the  saddle  the  General  had  ridden,  carrying  with  it  the 
nail  and  piece  of  wood.  The  wound  not  healing  kindly, 
was  thoroughly  probed  six  weeks  afterward,  when  the 
ball  was  found  to  be  imbedded  in  the  General's  thigh, 
near  the  bone,  which  it  had  injured  badly.  It  was  ex- 
tracted after  a  painful  operation  by  Surgeon  L.  M.  Reed, 
Medical  Director,  Fifth  Army  Corps,  Dr.  "William  Cor- 
son  of  Norristown,  Pennsylvania,  General  Hancock's 
family  physician,  and  Surgeon  George  E.  Cooper,  United 
States  Army.  This  wound  has  since  given  the  General 
great  pain  and  annoyance,  but  is  now  fully  healed. 

The  casualties  in  the  Second  Army  Corps  during  the 
great  battle  were  4,413,  nearly  44  per  cent,  of  all  engaged. 
The  "  missing  "  numbered  only  350  enlisted  men,  most 
of  whom  were  captured  from  Caldwell's  division,  July 
2d.  Hays's  division  lost  1,382  men,  Gibbon's  1,627,  and 
Caldwell's  1,248. 

The  artillery  brigade,  consisting  only  of  five  batteries, 
lost  150  men  and  250  horses.  Three  of  the  battery  com- 
manders were  killed  and  one  wounded.  Of  the  killed, 
Woodruff  and  Cushing  have  been  mentioned ;  the  third 
was  Rorty,  commanding  battery  "  B,"  First  New  York 


112  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Artillery,  who  was  shot  through  the  head  while  gallantly 
performing  his  duty.  Besides  those  already  mentioned 
were  Colonel  Denis  O'Kane,  Sixty-ninth  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers  ;  Colonel  Max  A.  Thomans,  Fifty-ninth  New 
York  Volunteers ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steele,  Seventh 
Michigan  Volunteers ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tschudy,  Sixty- 
ninth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers;  and  Colonel  Sherrill, 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  New  York  Volunteers. 

The  prisoners  captured  numbered  4,500,  exclusive  of 
those  secured  by  Caldwell's  division  on  the  2d,  of  whom 
about  one  half  fell  to  each  of  the  two  divisions  engaged. 
Gibbon's  division  secured  and  turned  in  12  stands  of  colors, 
and  Hays's  division  15  stands.  The  whole  number  of 
colors  captured  by  the  corps  was  33  ;  but  several  of  them 
were  secreted  and  disposed  of  as  personal  trophies. 


CIIAPTEK  XIII. 

Gettysburg — Summing  Up — General  Lee's  Intention  to  renew  the  Battle 
— Retreat  of  the  Confederate  Army — Killed  and  Wounded — Incidents 
of  the  Battle  by  an  Eye-witness — Splendid  Action  of  Hancock  and 
his  Staff — Longstreet's  Advance — Magnificent  Courage  of  the  South- 
erners— The  Philadelphia  Brigade — Death  of  the  Confederate  General 
Armistead — General  Hancock  the  Savior  of  Gettysburg. 

THE  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  one  of  the  most  mag- 
nificent of  modern  times.  For  three  days  the  largest 
armies  handled  in  modern  warfare  maintained  a  fierce 
and  persistent  struggle.  More,  than  200  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, at  intervals  of  this  dreadful  drama,  belched  forth 
missiles  of  destruction,  and  made  the  grand  old  hills 
tremble  as  with  the  thunders  of  heaven  and  the  throes  of 
volcanic  fires.  Never  before  had  the  horrible  and  the 
grand  in  human  combat  been  blended  in  such  sublime 
display.  No  painting,  by  either  word  or  pencil,  can  ade- 
quately convey  a  conception  of  the  stupendous  features 
of  this  more  than  Titanic  struggle.  Each  day  every  part 
of  that  extended  battle-field  presented  terrible  displays 
of  the  dread  magnificence  of  war.  But  perhaps  none 
was  more  sublimely  impressive  than  the  advance,  on  the 
third  day,  of  Pickett's  line  of  18,000  men,  in  a  tremen- 
dous charge  upon  that  part  of  the  Union  line  (the  left 
center)  held  by  the  troops  under  Hancock's  command. 
"With  the  steady  and  solemn  grandeur  of  the  ocean's 


LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

wave,  they  came  sweeping  on,  undeterred  by  the  storm 
of  shell  and  grape  and  musketry  which  opened  carnage 
gaps  in  their  serried  lines ;  and,  although  the  North  Caro- 
linians, when  they  discovered  that  the  force  against 
which  they  were  moving  was  not,  as  they  had  supposed,  of 
unseasoned  militia,  like  themselves,  raised  the  cry  "  The 
Army  of  the  Potomac ! "  and  broke  and  ran,  Pickett's 
brave  Virginians  pressed  dauntlessly  forward,  rushed  up 
the  side  of  Cemetery  Ridge,  and  fairly  plunged  into  Han- 
cock's line:  "And  Hancock,  who  had  the  day  before 
turned  the  fortunes  of  battle  in  a  similar  emergency,  again 
displayed  those  qualities  of  cool  appreciation  and  quick 
action  that  had  proved  him  one  of  the  foremost  com- 
manders on  the  actual  field  of  battle,  and  instantly  drew 
together  troops  to  make  a  bulwark  against  any  further 
advance  of  the  now  exultant  enemy."  *  This  magnifi- 
cent charge  was  repulsed  with  awful  slaughter. 

General  Lee  had  thoughts  of  renewing  the  battle  the 
next  day,  but  found  it  impracticable;  and  he  was  re- 
duced to  the  sad  alternative  of  retreat,  which  involved 
the  abandonment  of  the  whole  scheme  of  invasion,  and 
all  the  bright  hopes  connected  with  it.  He  was  con- 
vinced that  the  position  of  the  Union  army  was  impreg- 
nable. Still  he  did  not  hasten  his  retreat,  but  remained 
the  whole  of  the  next  day  (July  4th)  in  his  position, 
somewhat  retired,  and  sent  off  his  impedimenta  south 
and  west.  General  Hancock  believed  that,  if  our  troops 
had  advanced  on  the  evening  of  July  3d,  with  the  Fifth 
and  Sixth  Corps,  Lee's  artillery  would  have  been  cap- 
tured and  his  army  destroyed. 

Both  armies  sustained  severe  losses  in  this  great  con- 
flict. On  our  side  2,834  were  killed,  13,Y33  wounded, 

*  Swinton's  "Army  of  the  Potomac,"  p.  360. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  A  PORTION  OF  THE   BATTLE.        H5 

and  6,643  missing — in  all  23,210.  No  accurate  account 
of  the  Confederate  loss  was  ever  obtained,  but  it  was 
estimated  at  36,000,  of  which  number  nearly  14,000 
were  prisoners. 

In  completing  this  account  of  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg, the  following  brief  quotations  will  be  found  graphic 
and  interesting.  They  are  from  the  pen  of  Major-Gen- 
eral  St.  Clair  A.  Mulholland,  and  were  contributed  to 
the  Philadelphia  "  Times  "  of  February  14, 1880.  Describ- 
ing a  portion  of  the  battle,  the  writer  goes  on  as  follows : 

"Instantly  the  air  was  filled  with  bursting  shells. 
The  batteries  that  we  had  been  watching  for  the  last  two 
hours  going  into  position  in  our  front  did  not  open 
singly  or  spasmodically.  The  whole  one  hundred  and 
twenty  guns,  which  now  began  to  play  upon  us,  seemed 
to  be  discharged  simultaneously,  as  though  by  electricity, 
and  then  for  nearly  two  hours  the  storm  of  death  went 
on.  I  have  read  many  accounts  of  this  artillery  duel,  but 
the  most  graphic  description  by  the  most  able  writer 
falls  far  short  of  the  reality.  No  tongue  or  pen  can  find 
language  strong  enough  to  convey  any  idea  of  its  awful- 
ness.  Streams  of  screaming  projectiles  poured  through 
the  hot  air,  falling  and  bursting  everywhere.  Men  and 
horses  were  torn  limb  from  limb  ;  caissons  exploded  one 
after  another  in  rapid  succession,  blowing  the  gunners  to 
pieces.  No  spot  within  our  lines  was  free  from  this 
frightful  iron  rain.  The  infantry  hugged  close  the  earth, 
and  sought  every  slight  shelter  that  our  light  earthworks 
afforded.  It  was  literally  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  that 
the  oldest  soldiers  there — those  who  had  taken  part  in 
almost  every  battle  of  the  war — had  not  yet  witnessed. 
That  awful  rushing  sound  of  the  flying  missiles,  which 
causes  the  firmest  heart  to  quail,  was  everywhere. 


116  LIFE   OF  WIXFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

"  At  tins  tumultuous  moment  we  witnessed  a  deed  of 
heroism,  such  as  we  are  apt  to  attribute  only  to  the 
knights  of  the  olden  time.  Hancock,  mounted,  and  ac- 
companied by  his  staff,  Major  Mitchell,  Captain  Harry 
Bingham,  Captain  Isaac  Parker,  and  Captain  E.  P.  Bron- 
son,  with  the  corps  flag  flying  in  the  hands  of  a  brave 
Irishman  (Private  James  Wells,  of  the  Sixth  New  York 
Cavalry),  started  at  the  right  of  his  line,  where  it  joined 
the  Taneytown  road,  and  slowly  rode  along  the  terrible 
crest  to  the  extreme  left  of  his  position,  while  shot  and 
shell  roared  and  crashed  around  him,  and  every  moment 
tore  great  gaps  in  the  ranks  at  his  side. 

"  {  Stormed  at  with  shot  and  shell 
Boldly  they  rode  and  well.' 

"  It  was  a  gallant  deed,  and,  withal,  not  a  reckless  ex- 
posure of  life ;  for  the  presence  and  calm  demeanor  of  the 
commander,  as  he  passed  along  the  lines  of  his  men,  set 
them  an  example,  which  an  hour  later  bore  good  fruit, 
and  nerved  their  stout  hearts  to  win  the  greatest  and 
most  decisive  battle  ever  fousrht  on  this  continent.  .  .  . 

O 

"At  this  moment  silence  reigned  along  our  whole 
line.  With  arms  at  a  '  right  shoulder  shift ! ?  the  division 
of  Longstreet's  corps  moved  forward  with  a  precision 
that  was  wonderfully  beautiful.  It  was  now  our  turn, 
and  the  lines,  that  a  few  moments  before  seemed  so  still, 
now  teemed  with  animation.  Eighty  of  our  guns  opened 
their  brazen  mouths ;  solid  shot  and  shell  were  sent  on 
their  errand  of  destruction  in  quick  succession.  We  saw 
them  fall  in  countless  numbers  among  the  advancing 
troops.  The  accuracy  of  our  fire  could  not  be  excelled  : 
the  missiles  struck  right  in  the  ranks,  tearing  and  rend- 
ing them  in  every  direction.  The  ground  over  which 


MAGNIFICENT   COURAGE   OF  THE  SOUTHERNERS. 

they  have  passed  is  strewn  with  dead  and  wounded,  but 
on  they  come.  The  gaps  in  the  ranks  are  closed  as  soon 
as  made.  They  have  three  quarters  of  a  mile  to  pass 
exposed  to  our  tire,  and  half  the  distance  is  nearly  passed. 
Our  gunners  now  load  with  canister,  and  the  effect  is 
appalling;  but  still  they  march  on.  Their  gallantry  is 
past  all  praise;  it  is  sublime.  ISTow  they  are  within  a 
hundred  yards.  Our  infantry  rise  up,  and  pour  round 
after  round  into  these  heroic  troops.  At  Waterloo,  the 
Old  Guard  recoiled  before  a  less  severe  fire ;  but  there 
was  no  recoil  in  these  men  of  the  South.  They  marched 
right  on,  as  though  they  courted  death.  .  .  . 

"  At  the  most  critical  moment  Hancock  fell  among 
his  men,  on  the  line  of  Stannard's  Vermont  brigade,  des- 
perately wounded ;  but  he  continued  to  direct  the  fight 
until  victory  was  assured,  and  then  he  sent  Major  Mit- 
chell to  announce  the  glad  tidings  to  the  commander  of 
the  army.  .  .  . 

"Many  noble  officers  and  men  were  lost  on  both 
sides,  and  in  the  camp  hospital  they  died  in  hundreds 
during  the  afternoon  and  night.  The  Rebel  General 
Armistead  died  in  this  way.  As  he  was  being  carried  to 
the  rear,  he  was  met  by  Captain  Harry  Bingham,  of  Han- 
cock's staff,  who,  getting  off  his  horse,  asked  him  if  he 
could  do  anything  for  him.  Armistead  replied  to  take 
his  watch  and  spurs  to  General  Hancock,  that  they  might 
be  sent  to  his  relatives.  His  wishes  were  complied  with, 
General  Hancock  sending  them  to  his  friends  at  the  first 
opportunity.  Armistead  was  a  brave  soldier,  with  a  chiv- 
alric  presence,  and  came  forward  in  front  of  his  brigade, 
waving  his  sword.  He  was  shot  through  the  body,  and 
fell  inside  of  our  lines.  .  .  . 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  5th  we  found  the  enemy  had 


118  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

gone,  and  then  what  a  scene !  I  think  the  fact  was  first 
discovered  by  the  troops  on  Gulp's  Hill,  and  what  a  cheer 
went  up !  A  cheer  that  swelled  into  a  roar,  and  was 
taken  up  by  the  boys  on  Cemetery  Hill,  rolled  along  the 
crest  to  Round  Top,  and  then  back  again.  Cheers  for  the 
Philadelphia  Brigade,  that  stood  a  living  wall  against 
which  the  hosts  beat  in  vain.  Cheers  for  Meade,  the  sol- 
dier <  without  fear  and  without  reproach,'  who  here  began, 
with  a  great  victory,  his  illustrious  career  as  commander 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Cheers  for  Hancock,  who 
had  stemmed  the  tide  of  defeat  on  the  first  day,  and  se- 
lected the  ground  on  which  this  glorious  victory  was 
achieved ;  who,  on  the  second  day,  had  again  stopped  the 
tide  of  Rebel  victory,  and  restored  our  shattered  lines ; 
and,  on  the  third  day,  had  met  and  repulsed  the  final  as- 
sault, on  which  Lee's  all  was  staked,  and  won  the  battle 
that  was  really  the  death-blow  of  the  rebellion." 

An  interesting  incident  in  connection  with  General 
Armistead's  defection  from  the  United  States  Army,  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  is  related  by  General  Han- 
cock. It  occurred  at  Los  Angeles  early  in  1861.  Armi- 
stead  was  there  with  Hancock,  a  captain  and  brevet  major. 
Virginia,  his  native  State,  called  upon  him  to  support  her 
cause,  and,  under  the  influence  of  this  demand,  he  sided 
with  the  Confederates.  On  leaving  Los  Angeles,  he  pre- 
sented General  Hancock  with  his  major's  uniform,  say- 
ing that  the  latter  "  might  some  time  need  it."  He  also 
placed  in  his  hands  for  safe-keeping,  and  to  be  given  to 
his  family  if  he  should  fall  in  battle,  certain  valuable  pri- 
vate papers.  These  General  Hancock  sent  to  General 
Armistead's  sister  (who  had  married  a  Union  officer)  at 
the  close  of  the  war.  Armistead  also  presented  to  Han- 
cock a  little  prayer-book,  which  is  still  in  the  latter's  pos- 


INSCRIPTION  IN  ARMISTEAD'S  PRAYER-BOOK.        H9 

session.  On  a  fly-leaf  of  the  book  is  the  following  in- 
scription :  "  Lewis  A.  Armistead.  Trust  in  God  and 
fear  nothing."  It  may  be  observed,  by  the  way,  that 
General  Hancock  never  needed  the  major's  uniform  ;  he 
skipped  the  grades  from  captain  to  brigadier-general. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

General  Hancock's  Progress  to  Norristown — Popular  Demonstrations  on  the 
Road — Reception  at  Home — Presentation  of  a  Service  of  Plate  to  Gen- 
eral Hancock — His  Convalescence — Joins  his  Family  at  Longwood,  near 
St.  Louis — Reports  for  Duty  at  Washington,  December  15,  1863 — Re- 
turns to  his  Command  of  the  Second  Army  Corps — General  Grant  is 
appointed  General-in-Chief  of  the  Armies,  and  takes  Immediate  Com- 
mand of  the  Forces  in  Virginia — Reconstruction  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac — General  Hancock  ordered  North  on  Recruiting  Service — 
Grand  Review  by  General  Grant  of  the  Second  Corps  (30,000  Men) — 
Situation  of  the  Confederate  Army — Campaign  of  1864 — The  "  Wilder- 


GENERAL  HANCOCK,  as  lias  been  already  stated,  re- 
turned to  his  father's  house  in  Norristown,  when  unfitted 
for  active  service  by  the  severe  wound  which  he  received 
at  Gettysburg.  It  displays  the  nature  of  the  popular 
impression  with  regard  to  him,  and  particularly  that  of 
his  old  friends  and  fellow  townsmen  in  Norristown,  that 
General  Hancock's  painful  journey  from  the  field  of  bat- 
tle was  marked  by  expressions  of  popular  interest  all 
along  the  route,  and  which  culminated  on  his  reaching 
his  childhood's  home.  The  mode  of  his  transportation 
was  in  itself  impressive.  His  form  was  extended  upon  a 
stretcher  placed  upon  the  backs  of  the  seats  of  the  rail- 
way car,  and  was  thus  carried  from  "Westminster  to  Bal- 
timore, thence  to  Philadelphia,  and  from  there  to  Norris- 
town.  His  brilliant  career  had  won  the  admiration  of 
his  countrymen,  and  when  the  tidings  of  his  wounding 


POPULAR  DEMONSTRATION.  121 

spread  abroad,  universal  sympathy  was  awakened,  so  that, 
wherever  it  was  known  that  the  wounded  hero  was  pass- 
ing, crowds  flocked  to  obtain,  if  possible,  a  glance  'at  the 
shattered  form  of  one  so  celebrated.  "When  he  arrived  at 
the  Norristown  station,  he  was  met  by  a  large  detachment 
of  the  invalid  guards,  who  tenderly  placed  him  upon  their 
shoulders  and  bore  him  along  the  streets  to  his  parental 
home.  As  they  passed  along,  crowds  of  the  citizens  of 
his  native  town  gazed  with  silent  and  respectful  sympathy 
upon  the  man  who  had  gone  from  their  midst  a  sprightly 
boy,  and  was  now  returned  to  them  wounded  and  shaken, 
but  bearing  the  highest  military  rank,  the  well-earned 
measure  of  brilliant  heroism  in  many  a  battle.  "We  can 
imagine  but  inadequately  the  mingled  feelings  of  tender- 
ness, pride,  and  gratitude  with  which  that  noble  father 
and  gentle  mother  would  receive  under  such  circum- 
stances the  son  of  their  love  and  admiration.  'Nor  can 
we  fully  conceive  of  the  tide  of  thrilling  memories  that 
would  crowd  upon  the  General  when  he  found  himself 
lying  helpless  in  the  home  of  his  boyhood,  surrounded 
by  so  many  of  the  companions  of  his  youth. 

But  careful  surgical  attention,  and  the  vigor  of  a 
sound  constitution,  produced  slow  but  sure  convalescence, 
and,  although  the  wound  was  not  entirely  healed,  and 
continued  to  give  him  serious  trouble  for  many  years,  he 
eventually  became  entirely  qualified  for  renewed  active 
service  in  the  field.  Meanwhile,  his  enforced  retirement 
was  rendered  less  irksome  by  the  many  kind  attentions 
which  he  received  from  his  fellow  citizens,  expressions  of 
their  estimation  of  his  character  and  public  services. 
Among  these  was  the  presentation  by  some  of  the  citizens 
of  Norristown  of  an  elegant  service  of  plate  (gold  and 
silver)  with  the  following  inscription  and  device : 

6 


122  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

TO 

MAJOR-GENERAL  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK, 

FROM 

CITIZENS    OF   NORKISTOWN, 
MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    PENNSYLVANIA, 

July  4,  1864. 

Surmounting  the  inscription  was  the  badge  of  the 
Second  Corps,  the  trefoil,  or  three-leaf  clover.  Such  a 
token  of  regard,  costly  and  valuable  in  itself,  was  doubly 
so  coming  from  the  companions  of  his  boyhood,  reversing 
in  his  case  the  proverb,  that  men  are  not  apt  to  be  hon- 
ored in  their  own  country  and  among  their  own  kindred. 
Not  only  at  Norristown,  but  in  Philadelphia,  in  New 
York,  and  at  "West  Point,  he  was  greeted  with  enthusias- 
tic manifestations  of  popular  regard,  when  he  was  so  far 
restored  as  to  visit  those  places.  His  reception  at  his  old 
military  school  at  West  Point  was  peculiarly  cordial. 
There  he  had  the  gratification  to  meet  the  aged  chieftain, 
General  Scott,  who  highly  complimented  him  upon  the 
brilliancy  of  his  services,  and  expressed  the  pride  he  felt 
in  one  who  bore  his  name  so  gloriously.* 

As  soon  as  General  Hancock  was  able  to  endure  the 
journey,  he  set  out  to  join  his  wife  and  children  at  Long- 
wood,  near  St.  Louis.  In  a  letter  to  his  father  written  at 
that  place,  dated  October  12,  1863,  he  says : 

"  I  threw  aside  my  crutches  a  few  days  after  my  arrival, 

*  A  letter  is  still  in  existence  which  was  written  by  Captain,  now  Gen- 
eral Hancock,  to  Lieutenant-General  Scott,  dated  Los  Angeles,  California* 
March  1,  1861,  in  which  the  Captain  expresses  the  most  patriotic  sentiments, 
deprecates  the  Secession  movement,  and  intimates  a  wish  that  he  may  be 
permitted  to  render  some  service  to  the  Union  cause.  Lieutenant-General 
Scott  was  at  that  time  Commander-in-Chicf  of  the  army. 


MANIFESTATIONS  OF  PUBLIC  REGARD.  123 

and  now  walk  with  a  cane.  I  am  improving,  but  do  not 
yet  walk  without  a  little  roll.  My  wound  is  still  unhealed, 
though  the  doctors  say  it  is  closing  rapidly ;  I  find  some 
uneasiness  in  sitting  long  in  my  chair,  and  can  not  yet 
ride.  The  bone  appears  to  be  injured,  and  may  give  me 
trouble  for  a  long  time.  I  am  busy  trimming  up  the  for- 
est trees  in  the  lawn  of  <  Longwood,'  which  covers  nearly 
eleven  acres.  .  .  .  Allie  and  the  children  send  their  best 
love  to  you  and  mother.  Please  give  my  best  love  to 
mother. 

"I  remain,  as  ever,  your  affectionate  son, 

"  WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK." 

While  it  is  impracticable  to  detail  here  all  of  the 
manifestations  of  public  regard,  which,  at  about  this  time, 
were  tendered  to  General  Hancock,  room  must  be  made 
for  mention  of  a  few  of  these  instances. 

In  February,  1864,  the  Select  and  Common  Councils 
of  Philadelphia  passed  the  following  resolutions : 

"Resolved,  By  the  Select  and  Common  Councils  of  the 
City  of  Philadelphia,  that  the  thanks  of  the  citizens  of 
Philadelphia  are  eminently  due  and  are  hereby  tendered 
to  Major-General  Hancock,  for  his  brilliant  services  in 
the  cause  of  the  Union,  during  the  present  unholy  Rebel- 
lion against  the  authority  of  the  Government  and  people 
of  the  United  States. 

"Resolved,  That  the  use  of  Independence  Hall  be 
granted  to  General  Hancock  for  the  reception  of  his 
friends,  and  in  order  to  afford  the  citizens  of  Phila- 
delphia an  opportunity  to  testify  their  personal  regard 
for  him,  and  their  appreciation  of  his  gallantry  and 
patriotism. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Mayor  of  Philadelphia  and  the 


124:  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Presidents  of  Councils  be  requested  to  carry  these  resolu- 
tions into  effect ;  and  that  the  Clerks  of  Councils  be  re- 
quested to  furnish  a  copy  of  the  same  to  General  Hancock. 
"  ALEXANDER  J.  HARPER, 

"President  Common  Council. 
"  JAMES  LYND, 

"  President  Select  Council. 
"Attest:  WM.  F.  SMALL, 

"  Cleric  of  Common  Council,  February  18,  1864. 
"  Approved :  ALEXANDER  HENRY,  Mayor" 

These  resolutions  were  duly  transmitted  to  General 
Hancock,  and  their  receipt  was  acknowledged  by  him, 
under  date  of  February  22d,  in  a  graceful  letter,  accept- 
ing the  tender  of  Independence  Hall  for  a  reception  to 
his  friends.  In  this  letter  the  General  said :  "  I  am 
deeply  sensible  of  the  honor  thus  conferred,  and  do  not 
feel  at  liberty,  for  many  reasons,  to  decline  the  honor  of 
a  public  reception,  notwithstanding  the  doubt  I  may  have 
as  to  my  right,  by  accepting,  to  lay  claim  to  such  a  testi- 
monial. If  I  possess  any  such  claims,  it  is  due  to  the 
brave  soldiers  who  have  fought  under  my  command,  very 
many  of  whom  are  citizens  of  Philadelphia.  To  receive 
congratulations  which  may  reflect  credit  upon  them  will 
be  a  sufficient  reason  for  my  acceptance.  It  will  show 
them  that  their  countrymen  are  not  unmindful  of  their 
military  services,  and  will  stimulate  them  to  greater  deeds 
of  heroism."  The  reception  was  held  in  Independence 
Hall  on  the  afternoon  of  February  25,  1864,  and  was  a 
most  impressive  occasion. 

At  about  the  same  period  the  "  Union  League  "  of 
Philadelphia  presented  General  Hancock  with  a  hand- 
some silver  medal,  struck  in  commemoration  of  its  grati- 
tude and  admiration  for  his  eminent  public  services. 


JOINT   RESOLUTION   OF   CONGRESS.  125 

Here  may  also  be  properly  introduced  the  following 
resolution  of  Congress,  passed  unanimously  by  both 
Houses,  and  approved  April  21,  1866.  It  was  a  recog- 
nition by  the  representatives  of  the  entire  country  of  the 
distinguished  part  borne  by  General  Hancock  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg.  The  joint  resolution  of  January  28, 
1864,  to  which  reference  is  herein  made,  omitted,  by  some 
strange  inadvertence,  to  make  any  mention  of  the  name 
of  Winfield  Scott  Hancock : 

"  Resolved,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives, That  in  addition  to  the  thanks  heretofore  voted  by 
joint  resolution,  approved  January  28,  1864,  to  Major- 
General  George  G.  Meade,  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard, 
and  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, for  the  skill  and  heroic  valor  which,  at  Gettysburg, 
repulsed,  defeated,  and  drove  back — broken  and  dis- 
pirited— the  veteran  army  of  the  Rebellion  :  the  grati- 
tude of  the  American  people  and  the  thanks  of  their 
representatives  in  Congress  are  likewise  due  and  are 
hereby  tendered  to  Major-General  Winfield  Scott  Han- 
cock, for  his  gallant,  meritorious,  and  conspicuous  share 
in  that  great  and  decisive  victory." 

On  March  2, 1864,  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  who  had 
captured  Yicksburg,  Mississippi,  after  a  continuous  siege, 
lasting  from  May  22  to  July  4,  1863,  and  who,  on  this 
latter  date,  had  been  commissioned  major-general  in  the 
United  States  Army,  received  his  commission  as  lieu- 
tenant-general, and,  on  March  17,  1864,  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  Union  forces  in  Yirginia,  of  which  forces 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  now  reorganized  into  three 
corps :  the  Second,  under  Major-General  "Winfield  Scott 


126  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Hancock ;  the  Fifth,  under  Major-General  Governeur 
K.  Warren;  and  the  Sixth,  under  Major-General  Sedg- 
wick,  General  Meade  being  still  in  chief  command.  "  The 
three  corps  commanders,"  says  Swinton,  "  were  men  of  a 
high  order  of  ability,  though  of  very  diverse  types  of 
character.  Hancock  may  be  characterized  as  the  ideal  of 
a  soldier.  Gifted  with  a  magnetic  presence  and  a  su- 
perb personal  gallantry,  he  was  one  of  those  lordly  lead- 
ers who,  upon  the  actual  field  of  battle,  rule  the  hearts  of 
troops  with  a  potent  and  irresistible  mastery.  Warren, 
young  in  the  command  of  a  corps,  owed  his  promotion 
to  the  signal  proofs  he  had  given,  first  as  Brigadier,  then 
as  Chief  Engineer,  and,  latterly,  as  the  temporary  com- 
mander of  the  Second  Corps.  Sedgwick,  long  the  hon- 
ored chief  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  was  the  exemplar  of  sol- 
dierly obedience  to  duty." 

General  Hancock,  who  had  reported  for  duty  at  Wash- 
ington on  the  15th  of  December,  1863,  proceeded  thence 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  Second  Corps,  then  lying  in 
winter  cantonments  on  the  Rapidan,  near  Stevensburg, 
Yirginia,  and  resumed  the  command  of  the  corps.  He 
remained  there  a  few  weeks,  when  he  was  summoned  to 
Washington,  and  requested  by  the  authorities  there  to 
make  a  tour  to  some  of  the  Northern  States  on  recruiting 
service  for  the  Second  Corps.  He  was  successful  in  se- 
curing large  accessions  to  his  corps,  and,  when  these  du- 
ties had  been  completed,  rejoined  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac in  March,  1864,  and  resumed  his  command.  Soon 
after  his  return  to  the  army,  the  reorganization,  already 
alluded  to,  was  effected,  and  the  Second  Corps  was  ree'n- 
forced  by  adding  to  it  two  divisions  of  the  Third  Corps, 
the  latter  being  discontinued.  The  three  divisions  con- 
stituting the  Second  Corps  were  consolidated  into  two ; 


DIVISIONS  AND  BRIGADES  OF  THE  SECOND  CORPS.     127 

and,  as  finally  arranged,  the  divisions  and  brigades  of  the 
Corps  were  as  follows  : 

First  Division,  Brigadier-General  F.  C.  Barlow. 
First  Brigade,  Colonel  JS".  A.  Miles. 
Second  Brigade  (Irish),  Colonel  T.  A.  Smythe. 
Third  Brigade,  Colonel  E.  Frank. 
Fourth  Brigade,  Colonel  J.  R.  Brooke. 

Second  Division,  Brigadier-General  John  Gibbon. 
First  Brigade,  Brigadier-General  A.  S.  "Webb. 
Second  Brigade,  Brigadier- General  J.  P.  Owens. 
Third  Brigade,  Colonel  S.  S.  Carroll. 

Third  Division,  Major-General  D.  B.  Birney. 
First  Brigade,  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Ward. 
Second  Brigade,  Brigadier-General  Alexander  Hays. 

Fourth  Division,  Brigadier-General  J.  B.  Carr. 
First  Brigade,  Brigadier-General  G.  Mott. 
Second  Brigade,  Colonel  "W.  R.  Brewster. 

Inspector-General  and   Chief   of    Staff,   Lieutenant- 
Colonel  C.  H.  Morgan. 
Chief  of  Artillery,  Colonel  J.  C.  Tidball. 

It  will  be  observed  that  General  Gibbon  had  rejoined 
his  division,  and  that  General  Caldwell  had  been  relieved 
from  the  command  of  the  First  Division,  which  was  given 
to  General  F.  C.  Barlow.  The  latter  was  not  a  stranger 
to  the  division,  having  commanded  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished regiments  in  it,  the  Sixty-first  New  York 
Yolunteers,  until  severely  wounded  at  Antietam,  Septem- 
ber IT,  1862.  Immediately  after  the  opening  of  this 
campaign,  Brigadier-General  Mott  assumed  command  of 
the  Fourth  Division. 


128  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

A  few  days  before  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  the 
Second  Corps  was  reviewed  by  General  Grant.  Over 
30,000  men,  the  greater  number  of  them  veterans,  marched 
by  on  that  occasion,  and  presented,  perhaps,  the  finest 
parade  ever  witnessed  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  But 
in  less  than  one  year  this  corps  alone  lost  by  the  casualties 
of  war,  not  only  the  vast  numbers  that  had  marched 
proudly  by  General  Grant,  but  nearly  10,000  more,  its 
casualties  amounting  to  upward  of  35,000  men,  or  about 
one-third  of  the  entire  forces  operating  against  Rich- 
mond. 

When  the  campaign  of  1864  opened,  the  Confederate 
army,  under  General  Lee,  occupied  the  bluff  ridges  which 
skirt  the  south  bank  of  the  Rapidan,  a  position  strong  by 
nature,  and  so  strengthened  by  works  as  to  make  a  direct 
attack  upon  him  impracticable.  He  could  only  be  drawn 
from  it  by  a  turning  movement.  His  left  would  have 
been  more  easily  flanked ;  but  that  process  would  have 
carried  Grant's  army  too  far  from  its  base  of  supplies. 
He  determined,  therefore,  to  cross  the  Rapidan  by  its 
lower  fords,  and  turn  Lee's  right.  Grant's  original  pro- 
gramme was  to  gain  his  adversary's  rear,  and  he  had  given 
instructions  to  this  effect  to  his  corps  commanders ;  but, 
as  we  shall  see,  the  resistance  to  his  progress  by  the  enemy 
prevented  the  carrying  out  of  this  plan,  and  brought  on 
the  battles  of  the  "Wilderness."  Instead  of  retreating 
out  of  the  region  called  by  this  name,  Lee  resolved  to 
give  battle  in  it. 

The  Wilderness  is  an  extensive  tract  of  table-land 
which  stretches  from  the  south  bank  of  the  Rapidan 
southward.  It  is  seamed  with  ravines,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  small  clearings,  is  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  dwarf  timber  and  underbrush.  The  forward 


THE   "WILDERNESS."  129 

movement  from  the  Union  camps  was  commenced  about 
midnight  of  the  3d  of  May,  1864. 

Not  to  enter  upon  full  details  of  these  engagements, 
the  operations  of  General  Hancock  are  pertinent,  and 
will  be  given  with  only  such  other  material  as  shall  render 
the  narrative  intelligible. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

The  Wilderness — Crossing  the  Rapidan — The  Enemy  in  Force — Forming 
the  Line  of  Battle — Attack  of  the  Second  Corps — Close  Quarters  in  the 
Woods — Nightfall,  and  Cessation  of  Fighting — Brigadier-General  Hays 
killed — A  Serious  Loss. 

THE  Second  Corps  moved  from  its  camp  on  the  night 
of  May  3d,  with  between  29,000  and  30,000  men  and 
officers  fit  for  duty,  embracing  eighty-four  regiments  of 
infantry,  and  a  brigade  of  artillery,  consisting  of  nine 
batteries.  During  the  campaign,  about  twenty-five  regi- 
ments were  added  to  the  Corps,  making  the  number  of 
its  regiments  one  hundred  and  nine.* 

Crossing  the  Rapidan  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  at 
Ely's  Ford,  the  Corps  forming  the  left  column  of  the 
army  marched  to  Chancellorville  and  bivouacked  for  the 
night,  General  Hancock's  headquarters  being  established 
at  the  edge  of  the  small  peach  orchard  from  which  his 
division,  just  one  year  and  a  day  before,  had  drawn 
from  the  field  by  hand  Lepine's  Fifth  Maine  Battery, 
after  it  had  lost  all  of  its  officers,  cannoneers,  and  horses. 
The  gallant  young  Kirby,  who  had  been  placed  tem- 
porarily in  command  after  its  officers  had  been  disabled, 
received  his  death-wound  while  in  command  of  this  bat- 
tery. The  bones  of  horses  and  half-buried  dead  were 
yet  visible  here  and  there  on  the  field. 

*  Included  in  this  reinforcement  were  Tyler's  division  of  heavy  artil- 
lery, then  acting  as  infantry,  and  the  "  Corcoran  Legion." 


THE  ENEMY  IN  FORCE.  131 

Lee  had  offered  no  opposition  to  the  crossing  of  the 
river  by  the  Union  army.  One  hundred  thousand  men, 
with  their  enormous  train  of  4,000  wagons,  were  passed 
over  the  Rapidan  without  molestation.  "Why  he  made  no 
resistance  is  not  clear.  But  it  is  probable  that  he  was 
willing  that  this  vast  mass  of  men  and  impedimenta  should 
become  entangled  in  the  Wilderness,  in  hope  that  he 
might  destroy  or  capture  them.  It  was  bold  forbearance. 

At  5  A.  M.  on  the  5th,  the  Second  Corps  took  up 
its  line  of  march  for  Shady  Grove  Church,  where  the 
left  of  the  army  was  to  have  rested,  had  the  movement 
been  uninterrupted. 

The  advance  of  the  column  was  nearly  an  hour's  march 
beyond  Todd's  tavern,  when,  at  9  A.  M.,  hearing  firing 
to  the  right,  General  Hancock  halted,  as  the  enemy  had 
been  discovered  in  some  force  on  the  Wilderness  turn- 
pike, and  two  hours  later  received  orders  from  General 
Meade  to  move  up  the  Brock  road  to  its  intersection 
with  the  Orange  plank  road.  Birney's  division,  then  in 
the  rear,  formed  the  head  of  the  column  in  the  retro- 
grade march. 

General  Hancock  preceded  his  troops  to  the  point 
indicated,  where  he  found  General  Getty,  with  his  divis- 
ion of  the  Sixth  Corps,  who  had  secured  and  held  posses- 
sion of  the  Orange  plank  road  and  the  Brock  road  after 
a  hard  fight.  On  his  backward  march  from  Todd's  tav- 
ern, General  Hancock  met  the  reserve  artillery  of  the 
army,  which  had  followed  his  column  from  Chancellor- 
ville,  and  advised  its  commander  to  return  with  it  to 
that  point,  as  the  movement  of  the  Second  Corps  then 
in  progress  would  leave  him  unprotected  by  the  infan- 
try, and  from  Chancellorville  he  could  move  up  on  either 
the  Orange  plank  road  or  the  old  Wilderness  turnpike. 


132  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

The  head  of  Birney's  division  arrived  on  the  ground 
about  2  P.  M.,  and  the  troops  formed  at  once  in  two 
lines  of  battle  on  Getty's  left,  along  the  Brock  road. 
Mott's  and  Gibbon's  divisions  followed  immediately, 
forming  in  succession  in  two  lines  on  Birney's  left. 
Frank's  brigade  of  Barlow's  division  was  stationed  at  the 
junction  of  the  Brock  and  Catharpen  roads,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  First  Division  was  established  on  some 
high  cleared  ground  in  front  of  the  Brock  road,  forming 
the  left  of  our  line.  This  elevated  ground  commanded 
the  country  for  some  distance  to  the  right  and  left,  and 
was  the  only  point  on  our  line  of  battle  where  artillery 
could  have  any  effective  range,  and,  indeed,  the  only 
ground  on  which  it  could  be  brought  into  battery.  The 
whole  artillery  brigade  was  therefore  massed  with  Bar- 
low's division,  except  Dow's  Sixth  Maine  Battery  and  one 
section  of  Rickett's  F  Company,  First  Pennsylvania. 
Dow  was  posted  on  the  second  line  on  Mott's  left.  The 
section  of  Rickett's  battery  was  placed  on  the  plank  road 
under  the  orders  of  General  Getty,  who  had  been  hotly 
engaged,  and  repulsed  the  enemy.  Upon  General  Han- 
cock's arrival,  General  Getty  informed  him  that  he  mo- 
mentarily expected  an  attack  from  the  two  divisions  of 
Hill's  corps,  known  to  be  immediately  in  the  Wilderness, 
a  few  hundred  yards  in  his  front ;  and  to  meet  this  antici- 
pated assault  General  Hancock  at  once  ordered  breast- 
works of  logs  and  earth  to  be  built  along  his  entire  front 
line  of  battle ;  subsequently  a  line  of  breastworks  was 
also  thrown  up  along  the  second  line. 

The  formation  of  the  lines  was  accomplished  slowly  on 
account  of  the  narrowness  of  the  Brock  road  (it  was  only 
wide  enough  for  a  column  of  fours),  the  density  of  the 
forest  on  either  side  of  it,  and  the  fact  that  it  was  im- 


FORMING  THE  LINE  OF  BATTLE.  133 

practicable  to  get  the  artillery  out  of  the  way  of  the  in- 
fantry until  the  cleared  ground,  before  mentioned,  was 
reached. 

At  2.15  P.  M.  General  Hancock  received  a  dispatch 
from  Major-General  Meade  (commanding  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac),  which  stated  that  the  enemy  held  the  Orange 
plank  road  nearly  to  its  junction  with  the  Brock  road 
(the  point  just  referred  to),  and  directing  him  to  attack 
with  his  own  troops  and  Getty's  division,  and  to  endeavor 
to  connect  with  Warren  (Fifth  Corps)  on  the  Orange 
plank  road,  also  stating  that  Griffin's  division  of  the  Fifth 
Corps  had  been  driven  back  on  the  Orange  pike,  and  that 
Warren's  left,  Crawford's  division,  was  within  one  mile 
of  Parker's  store.  Fifteen  minutes  later  another  dispatch 
was  received  by  General  Hancock  from  army  headquar- 
ters, stating  that  the  enemy's  infantry  had  driven  our  cav- 
alry down  the  Orange  plank  road  from  Parker's  store,  and 
that  a  portion  of  A.  P.  Hill's  corps  was  then  moving 
on  that  road  toward  the  intersection  of  the  Brock  road 
which  Getty's  troops  were  then  holding.  The  same  dis- 
patch stated  that  Getty  had  been  ordered  to  drive  the  en- 
emy back  on  the  Orange  plank  road,  but  that  he  might 
not  be  strong  enough  to  do  so,  and  General  Hancock  was 
directed  to  move  out  to  support  Getty  toward  Parker's 
store,  to  drive  the  enemy  beyond  that  point,  and  to  hold 
it  and  to  unite  with  General  Warren's  left. 

When  these  dispatches  reached  General  Hancock,  the 
greater  portion  of  his  command  was  marching  up  the 
Brock  road  from  Todd's  tavern,  and  was  not  yet  in  posi- 
tion to  attack.  General  Hancock  himself  rode  back 
along  the  column  to  hasten  its  movements,  which,  for 
reasons  before  given,  were  necessarily  slow. 

Between  3  and  4  p.  M.  orders  were  sent  to  General 


134  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Hancock  from  army  headquarters  to  attack  with  Getty's 
division,  and  to  support  the  advance  with  the  entire  Sec- 
ond Corps ;  but  at  this  hour  Birney's  division  (the  leading 
one)  was  the  only  one  formed,  and  it  was  therefore  im- 
practicable to  execute  the  order  at  that  moment. 

At  4.15  P.  M.  General  Getty  moved  out  his  division, 
on  either  side  of  the  Orange  plank  road,  under  direct 
orders  from  General  Meade,  received  while  General 
Hancock  was  along  the  Brock  road  hurrying  up  his  troops. 
When  General  Hancock  returned  to  the  junction  of  the 
Brock  and  Orange  plank  roads,  he  learned  from  General 
Getty  that  he  was  directed  to  attack  without  waiting  for 
the  Second  Corps,  and  had  already  ordered  his  troops  to  ad- 
vance. General  Hancock  told  him  that  he  regretted  that 
he  could  not  have  waited  until  the  Second  Corps  was  up 
and  formed,  but  he  would  reenforce  him  at  once  on  his 
right  and  left,  and  support  him  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

Getty  had  not  advanced  more  than  three  hundred 
paces  into  the  dense  wood  when  he  encountered  the  ene- 
my's line  of  battle,  and  the  fight  at  once  became  so  fierce 
that  General  Hancock  ordered  Birney  forward  with  his 
own  and  Mott's  division  to  Getty's  assistance,  although 
the  formations  which  General  Hancock  had  hoped  to 
have  completed  before  advancing  to  the  attack  were  not 
yet  perfected. 

Birney  moved  into  action  on  Getty's  right  and  left, 
and  a  section  of  Rickett's  Pennsylvania  Battery  advanced 
along  the  plank  road  just  in  rear  of  the  infantry  line. 

The  importance  of  General  Hancock's  design  of  hav- 
ing his  attacking  force  thoroughly  in  hand  before  he  as- 
sailed the  enemy's  line  became  very  evident  now,  for  the 
battle  at  once  assumed  such  proportions  that  it  was  not  easy 
to  push  reinforcements  in  sufficiently  fast  to  sustain  it. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL   HAYS   KILLED.  135 

At  4.30  P.  M.  Carroll's  brigade,  of  Gibbon's  division, 
was  hurried  into  the  fight  on  the  right  of  the  plank  road, 
Owen's  brigade,  same  division,  following  closely. 

The  "  Irish  Brigade,"  Colonel  Thomas  Smythe  (who 
was  the  last  general  officer  killed  during  the  war),  Second 
Delaware  Volunteers,  commanding,  and  Colonel  John  K. 
Brooke's  brigade,  both  of  Barlow's  division,  made  a  forci- 
ble attack  on  the  enemy's  right,  and  drove  it  back  some 
distance. 

The  battle  raged  furiously  until  it  became  too  dark  to 
see  (about  8  p.  M.).  The  lines  were  very  close  together, 
at  some  points  not  more  than  fifty  paces  apart,  and  the 
thickets  were  so  dense  and  tangled  that  it  was  impossible 
for  the  commanders  to  see  how  the  battle  was  going,  or 
to  obtain  any  insight  into  the  enemy's  plans  or  inten- 
tions. The  section  of  Eickett's  battery  which  had  gone 
into  action  on  the  plank  road  when  Getty  and  Birney  ad- 
vanced suffered  most  severely  in  men  and  horses  from 
the  enemy's  musketry.  At  one  time  it  was  captured,  but 
was  gallantly  retaken  by  a  detachment  of  the  Eighth 
Ohio  and  Fourteenth  Indiana  regiments,  of  Carroll's  bri- 
gade. It  was  then  replaced  by  a  section  of  Dow's  Sixth 
Maine  Battery.  ISTo  decided  advantage  remained  with 
either  party  when  night  set  in,  save  that  Smythe  and 
Brooke  had  driven  the  enemy's  right,  as  before  stated, 
his  left  remaining  firm,  notwithstanding  the  fierce  onset 
of  our  troops.  His  line,  however,  was  in  great  confu- 
sion. 

Among  the  killed  during  this  day's  battle  was  Briga- 
dier-General Alexander  Hays  (a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth), 
one  of  the  most  chivalrous  and  intrepid  soldiers  that  ever 
wore  a  sword.  He  was  a  heroic  leader  of  troops  in  bat- 
tle, and  his  loss  was  irreparable  to  the  Second  Corps. 


136  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

At  Gettysburg,  at  Bristow's  Station,  at  Mine  Run,  he 
had  led  his  division,  colors  in  hand,  in  full  view  of  the 
enemy,  where  he  was  a  mark  for  a  thousand  rifles,  only 
to  meet  death  in  these  tangled  thickets,  where  his  per- 
sonal example  could  hardly  be  seen  or  felt  by  more  than 
a  single  battalion. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

The  Wilderness — Second  Day  of  the  Fight — Hancock  ordered  to  attack — 
His  Preparations — The  Battle  opens — The  Enemy  driven  back  at  all 
Points — Hancock's  Corps  reenf  orced  by  one  Division  of  the  Ninth  Corps 
— Burnside  comes  up  —  Sheridan's  Cavalry  attack  Longstreet  —  A 
Blunder — Convalescent  Union  Soldiers  mistaken  for  Confederates — 
Longstreet's  Assault  in  Force — Our  Left  broken — Retirement  of  the 
Union  Forces — Our  Breastworks  captured  and  retaken — Conflagration 
— The  Union  Forces  retire  toward  Spottsylvania  Court-House. 

DURING  the  night  of  the  5th,  General  Hancock  re- 
ceived orders  to  renew  his  attack  on  the  morning  of  the 
6th  at  5  A.  M.  He  was  cautioned  to  look  out  for  his  left 
flank,  and  was  informed  that  his  right  would  be  relieved 
by  an  attack  of  Wadsworth's  division  of  the  Fifth  Corps 
and  two  divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps  under  General 
Burnside.  Getty's  division,  Sixth  Corps,  remained  under 
General  Hancock's  orders. 

Before  the  attack  was  commenced  on  the  morning  of 
the  6th,  General  Hancock  was  informed  from  army  head- 
quarters that  Longstreet  was  passing  up  the  Catharpen 
road  to  attack  his  flank.  We  shall  see  that  this  informa- 
tion had  a  decided  effect  upon  the  course  of  the  action, 
and  preparations  were  at  once  made  for  Longstreet's  re- 
ception. Barlow's  division  was  placed  in  position  to  op- 
pose him,  and  the  artillery  was  posted  to  cover  the  road 
leading  from  the  Catharpen  to  the  Brock  road,  along 
which  it  was  supposed  Longstreet  would  advance.  A 


138  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

strong  skirmish  line  was  also  thrown  out  covering  the 
Brock  road.  These  dispositions  were  made  under  the 
supervision  of  Major-General  Gibbon,  who  commanded 
the  left  of  General  Hancock's  line  (his  own  and  Barlow's 
divisions),  and  General  C.  H.  Morgan,  General  Hancock's 
Chief  of  Staff. 

General  Birney  was  placed  in  command  of  the  right 
(Third  and  Fourth  divisions,  Second  Corps,  and  Getty's 
division,  Sixth  Corps). 

At  5  A.  M. — the  hour  appointed — Birney  moved  to  the 
attack  along  the  Orange  plank  road  with  his  own,  Mott's, 
and  Getty's  divisions.  Carroll's  and  Owen's  brigades  of 
Gibbon's  division  followed  in  his  support. 

The  battle  at  once  opened,  Birney  assaulting  with 
great  vigor,  and,  after  a  bloody  contest  at  close  quarters 
with  musketry  alone,  the  enemy's  line  was  broken  at  all 
points,  and  he  was  driven  in  confusion  through  the  forest 
for  about  one  and  a  half  miles  with  much  slaughter. 
The  troops,  having  been  thrown  into  some  disorder  by 
their  long  advance  under  fire  through  the  dense  thickets, 
were  now  halted  by  General  Birney's  orders  to  readjust 
the  lines,  General  Birney  personally  informing  General 
Hancock  on  the  field  of  the  necessity  for  this  halt. 
About  this  hour  Webb's  brigade  of  Gibbon's  division 
relieved  Getty's  division,  Sixth  Corps,  which  had  lost 
very  heavily.  Getty's  division  reformed  along  the  Brock 
road.  At  7  A.  M.  General  Hancock  sent  an  aide  to  Gen- 
eral Gibbon  to  order  in  a  division  upon  the  enemy's  right 
to  fight  up  toward  the  Orange  plank  road.  The  intended 
movement  did  not,  however,  take  place  in  force. 

Subsequent  events  made  it  plain  that  an  attack  by 
Barlow's  entire  division,  at  that  time  one  of  the  most 
powerful  in  the  army,  if  it  had  not  resulted  in  the  com- 


HANCOCK'S  CORPS  REENFORCED.  139 

plete  overthrow  of  the  enemy,  would  at  least  have  pre- 
vented the  subsequent  turning  of  Mott's  left  flank.  We 
shall  see  how  the  anticipated  attack  of  Longstreet  still 
further  paralyzed  General  Hancock's  left  wing. 

At  8  A.  M.  Stevenson's  division  of  the  Ninth  Corps 
reported  to  General  Hancock,  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Brock  and  plank  roads,  and  reenforced  Birney.  Wads- 
worth's  division  of  the  Fifth  Corps  went  into  action  on 
the  right  of  the  plank  road1  about  the  same  hour,  connect- 
ing with  General  Birney's  line. 

About  this  time  General  Hancock  was  notified  from 
army  headquarters  that  .General  Burnside  had  pushed 
forward  nearly  to  Parker's  store,  and  would  attack  with 
two  divisions  across  General  Hancock's  front  to  relieve 
his  troops. 

Meantime  the  enemy  made  some  demonstrations  on 
the  left,  which  were  the  source  of  considerable  uneasi- 
ness, until  the  receipt  of  a  dispatch  from  army  headquar- 
ters stating  that  General  Sheridan  with  a  division  of 
cavalry  had  been  ordered  to  attack  Longstreet  (who  was 
supposed  to  be  advancing  in  that  direction). 

At  8.50  A.  M.  Birney's,  Stevenson's,  Mott's,  and  Wads- 
worth's  divisions,  with  Webb's,  Carroll's,  and  Owen's 
brigades  of  Gibbon's  division,  again  advanced  along  the 
Orange  plank  road,  and  the  battle  was  resumed  with  more 
fierceness  and  determination  than  ever,  if  that  were  possi- 
ble. The  action  at  this  point  had  hardly  been  recom- 
menced when  the  left  flank  was  seriously  threatened,  the 
enemy  pressing  forward  their  skirmishers,  and  opening 
with  their  artillery,  as  if  an  advance  was  intended  there. 
Rapid  firing  was  heard  also  in  the  direction  of  Todd's  tav- 
ern, which  was  thought  to  be  General  Sheridan's  troops  at- 
tacking Longstreet  there.  To  strengthen  this  impression, 


140  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

one  of  those  incidents,  trivial  in  themselves,  but  which 
lead  sometimes  to  great  results,  occurred.  One  of  Gen- 
eral Hancock's  staff,  who  was  engaged  in  constructing  a 
defensive  line  across  the  Brock  road  on  the  left,  hearing 
the  firing  in  the  direction  of  Todd's  tavern,  rode  out  for 
a  mile  and  a  half,  to  examine  the  country  and  to  get  what 
information  he  could  concerning  the  state  of  affairs. 
Through  an  opening  in  the  woods  he  saw  a  column  of 
infantry  moving,  and,  though  not  able  to  satisfy  himself 
absolutely  as  to  whether  they  were  Confederate  or  Union 
soldiers,  the  officer  reported  the  movement  to  General 
Hancock.  It  being  certain  that  the  troops  seen  were  in- 
fantry, and  that  they  were  moving  from  the  direction  of 
Todd's  tavern,  General  Hancock  thought  there  was  little 
room  to  doubt  that  it  was  Longstreet's  column,  and 
Brooke's  brigade  of  Barlow's  division  was  at  once  thrown 
into  the  works  which  had  been  constructed. 

The  column  seen  afterward  proved  to  be  a  body  of 
convalescents  sent  from  "  Convalescent  Camp,"  near  Alex- 
andria, Virginia,  to  join  their  regiments.  They  had  fol- 
lowed the  route  of  the  Second  Corps  across  the  Rapidan, 
and  blundered  down  from  Chancellorville  to  Todd's  tavern 
at  that  inopportune  moment,  whence  they  retraced  their 
steps  by  the  Brock  road  into  our  lines.  Their  uniforms 
being  gray  with  dust  rendered  it  difficult  at  a  distance 
to  distinguish  them  from  the  Confederates. 

Two  other  brigades,  Leasure's,  of  the  Ninth  Corps, 
and  Eustis's,  of  the  Sixth,  had  come  up  and  reported  in 
the  mean  time  to  General  Hancock,  and  were  held  in 
readiness  to  support  Barlow,  should  they  be  required  at 
that  point. 

The  troops  thus  disposed  of  could  have  been  spared 
(as  it  afterward  turned  out)  to  have  reenforced  the  attack 


LONGSTREET'S  ASSAULT   IN  FORCE. 

along  the  plank  road,  for  Longstreet  about  this  time 
abandoned  his  anticipated  flank  march,  and  came  in  to  the 
assistance  of  Hill,  who  had  been  thoroughly  used  up.  It 
was  ascertained  that  General  Sheridan  had  had  an  en- 
counter with  Stewart's  cavalry. 

About  10  A.  M.  another  incident  occurred  on  General 
Hancock's  right,  which  drew  off  a  portion  of  his  attack- 
ing force  at  a  critical  hour  of  the  day — General  Meade 
sending  him  word  that  a  brigade  of  the  Fifth  Corps  (Cut- 
ler's) had  fallen  back  out  of  the  woods,  considerably  dis- 
organized, reporting  heavy  losses,  and  that  the  enemy's 
skirmishers  were  within  half  a  mile  of  General  War- 
ren's headquarters.  General  Meade  stated  that  he  had 
no  troops  which  he  could  use  to  check  this  advance  of  the 
enemy,  and  directed  General  Hancock  to  take  the  neces- 
sary measures  at  once.  General  Birney  was  accordingly 
ordered  to  send  two  brigades  to  restore  the  line  of  the 
Fifth  Corps,  where  it  was  reported  broken  on  Warren's 
left.  A  short  time  afterward  General  Birney  informed 
General  Hancock  that  he  had  reestablished  connection 
with  the  Fifth  Corps  and  restored  the  lines  where  Cut- 
ler had  fallen  back.  It  was  at  this  time,  while  General 
Hancock  was  about  to  renew  his  advance  along  the  plank 
road  with  a  column  of  20,000  men  under  Birney,  and 
while  he  was  receiving  dispatches  from  his  extreme  left 
attributing  the  firing  in  that  direction  (Todd's  tavern)  to 
Longstreet,  that  the  latter  commenced  his  assault  to  re- 
lieve Hill's  shattered  corps. 

Striking  Frank's  brigade  of  Barlow's  division  (on 
Mott's  left),  which  had  lost  severely  in  the  early  part  of 
the  day,  and  had  nearly  exhausted  its  ammunition,  Long- 
street  forced  it  rapidly  back,  and  then,  encountering  the 
left  of  Mott's  division,  compelled  it  in  turn  to  retire. 


14-2  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

This  vehement  onset  by  Longstreet  caused  disorder 
among  the  troops,  and,  although  General  Hancock  made 
great  efforts  to  hold  his  advanced  position  along  the  plank 
road  by  refusing  the  left  of  his  line,  he  was  unable  to  do 
so  on  account  of  the  disorganization  of  the  troops  before 
referred  to,  and  the  nature  of  the  field,  which  prevented 
him  from  seeing  or  being  seen  for  more  than  a  few  rods. 
The  personal  bravery  and  example  which,  on  the  heights 
at  Gettysburg  or  on  the  bloody  slope  at  Fredericksburg, 
might  be  seen  by  and  restore  confidence  to  thousands,  on 
this  field  narrowed  to  the  view  of  a  single  regiment. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  our  troops  had  been  for 
many  hours  previous  to  Longstreet's  advance  under  a 
murderous  musketry  fire ;  many  valuable  officers  whom 
they  had  been  accustomed  to  follow  had  been  lost ;  and 
that  they  had  advanced  a  long  distance  through  dense 
thickets  where  their  formation  had  been  partly  broken. 
The  weather  also  was  excessively  hot,  and  the  men  suffered 
from  want  of  water. 

General  Hancock  now  ordered  General  Birney,  who 
was  in  immediate  command  of  this  portion  of  our  lines, 
to  withdraw  his  troops  from  the  forest,  where  it  was  al- 
most impracticable  to  adjust  the  lines,  and  to  reform 
them  in  our  breastworks  along  the  Brock  road,  our  origi- 
nal line  of  battle.  The  enemy  followed  closely,  but  did 
not  immediately  assail  our  line — probably  owing  to  the 
fact  of  Longstreet  having  been  wounded  at  this  moment. 

To  gain  time,  and  to  check  the  enemy,  should  he  at- 
tempt to  carry  our  breastworks  while  our  lines  were  being 
reformed,  General  Hancock  directed  Colonel  Leasure's 
brigade  of  the  Ninth  Corps  to  advance  and  sweep  the 
thickets  and  woods  along  the  front  of  our  line  to  the 
right  toward  the  Orange  plank  road,  keeping  his  right 


ADVANCE  IN  FORCE  UNDER  GENERAL  LEE.  143 

about  one  hundred  paces  from  our  breastworks,  to  attack 
the  enemy's  right  flank,  if  in  position.  These  instructions 
were  carried  out  by  Colonel  Leasure  with  great  promptness 
and  success.  Forming  his  brigade  at  right  angles  to  our 
line  of  breastworks,  he  marched  across  the  entire  front 
of  Mott's  and  Birney's  divisions,  crossing  the  Orange 
plank  road,  and  encountering,  as  he  proceeded,  what  he 
believed  to  be  a  brigade  of  the  enemy'  forces,  which  fell 
back  in  disorder  without  engaging  him.  After  he  had  very 
fully  and  intelligently  executed  General  Hancock's  orders, 
he  resumed  his  position  on  our  right  in  the  line  of  battle. 

During  this  morning's  battle  Colonel  Carroll  was  shot 
through  the  arm.  General  Hancock  meeting  him,  and 
supposing  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  hospital,  asked  him 
who  would  command  his  brigade  during  his  absence. 
Carroll  replied  with  some  spirit  that  he  "  had  not  yet 
given  up  the  command  of  his  brigade,  and  was  not  yet 
done  fighting." 

No  further  movements  of  importance  took  place  on 
either  side  until  a  few  minutes  after  4  p.  M.  (our  efforts 
in  the  mean  time  being  exerted  to  rearrange  and  perfect 
our  lines),  when  the  enemy  advanced  in  force  under  the 
command  of  Lee  in  person,  pushing  forward  until  he 
came  to  the  edge  of  the  slashed  timber,  less  than  one  hun- 
dred paces  from  our  breastworks,  when  he  halted  and 
continued  a  heavy  musketry  fire.  Though  his  fire  was 
heavy,  but  little  execution  was  done  among  our  troops, 
owing  to  our  breastworks  and  the  conformation  of  the 
ground ;  but,  after  about  thirty  minutes  of  this  work  had 
passed,  some  of  our  men  began  to  waver,  and  finally  a 
portion  of  Mott's  division  and  part  of  Ward's  brigade  of 
Birney's  division  in  the  first  line  gave  way  in  consider- 
able disorder. 


144  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

General  Hancock  made  great  exertions  to  rally  the 
men,  and  numbers  of  them  were  returned  to  the  line  of 
battle. 

As  soon  as  the  break  in  our  lines  above  referred  to 
occurred,  the  enemy  pressed  forward,  and  some  of  his 
men  reached  our  breastworks  and  planted  their  colors  on 
them. 

At  this  moment  General  Birney,  who  was  standing 
just  in  rear  of  the  section  of  Dow's  battery,  at  the  cross- 
roads, turned  to  Colonel  Carroll,  whose  brigade  was  in  two 
lines  just  on  the  right  of  the  plank  road,  saying :  "  Car- 
roll, you  must  put  your  brigade  in  there  and  drive  the 
enemy  back."  With  the  promptness  which  always  char- 
acterized that  officer,  when  ordered  against  the  enemy,  he 
moved  his  brigade  by  the  left  flank  across  the  plank  road 
until  opposite  the  point  abandoned  by  our  troops,  and  then 
by  the  right  flank  in  double  time,  retaking  the  line  with 
ease,  and  with  the  loss  of  a  few  men,  the  enemy  falling 
back,  suffering  severely  under  the  withering  fire  which 
our  troops  now  poured  into  their  ranks.  On  the  opposite 
(left)  flank  of  the  break  in  our  lines,  reinforcements  were 
promptly  sent  by  General  Gibbon,  Brooke's  brigade  of 
Barlow's  division  having  been  just  anticipated  by  Carroll's 
reaching  the  breastwork  first  and  driving  the  enemy  back. 
A  portion  of  Dow's  Sixth  Maine  battery  on  Mott's  line 
handsomely  assisted  in  the  repulse  of  the  enemy.  It  de- 
livered a  most  destructive  fire  at  short  range  as  the  enemy 
rushed  for  our  works,  and  was  served  with  admirable 
steadiness  and  gallantry. 

The  confusion  among  a  portion  of  Mott's  and  Birney's 
divisions,  on  this  occasion,  was  increased  very  much,  if 
not  indeed  originated,  by  our  front  line  of  breastworks 
having  caught  fire  just  before  the  enemy  made  his  ad- 


CONFLAGRATION. 

vance,  the  fire  having  been  communicated  to  it  from  the 
woods  in  front  (the  battle-ground  of  the  previous  day  and 
that  morning),  which  had  been  burning  for  some  hours. 
The  breastworks  on  this  part  of  the  line  were  built  of  dr y 
logs,  and  just  at  the  moment  of  the  enemy's  advance  were 
a  mass  of  flames,  the  fire  extending  for  several  hundred 
yards  to  the  right  and  left.  The  intense  heat  and  smoke, 
which  a  prevailing  wind  blew  directly  into  the  faces  of 
our  men,  prevented  them  from  firing  over  the  parapet, 
and,  at  some  points,  even  drove  them  from  the  line. 

No  incident  of  the  war  has  been  more  persistently  or 
grossly  misrepresented  than  this  affair.  Many  histories 
of  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness — notably  Greeley's,  Cop- 
pee's,  and  Anchor's — make  this  the  fiercest  and  most 
successful  attack  by  the  enemy  during  the  day,  and  state 
that  the  tide  was  only  turned  in  our  favor  by  troops  sent 
by  General  Grant,  when,  in  truth,  except  for  the  break- 
ing of  Ward's  brigade  of  Birney's  division,  and  some  of 
Mott's  troops,  the  assault  would  not  have  been  considered 
of  the  first  magnitude  among  the  many  engagements  in 
which  the  Second  Corps  had  taken  part. 

General  Hancock  had  received  an  order  to  attack  again 
at  6  r.  M.,  but  that  order  was  countermanded  when  Gen- 
eral Meade  was  informed  of  the  attack  of  Longstreet  on 
General  Hancock's  lines.  Between  6  and  7  P.  M.  General 
Hancock  was  summoned  to  headquarters  of  the  army  for 
consultation.  While  on  his  way  thither,  he  was  called 
upon  for  troops  to  help  General  Sedgwick  (Sixth  Corps), 
whose  line  had  been  broken  by  the  enemy.  Getty's 
division  (then  commanded  by  Wheat  on,  in  consequence 
of  General  Getty  having  been  wounded)  was  at  once  sent 
to  its  own  corps. 

The  night  of   the  Cth  and  the  morning  of  the  7th 


146  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

passed  without  material  incident,  except  that  early  on  the 
morning  of  the  7th  a  reconnoissance  was  made  under 
General  Birnej's  direction,  which  discovered  that  the 
enemy  did  not  hold  the  Orange  plank  road  for  a  long  dis- 
tance in  our  front. 

At  9  A.  M.  on  the  7th  a  dispatch  to  General  Hancock 
from  army  headquarters  informed  him  that  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy  indicated  an  attack  on  his  own  or 
General  Warren's  lines,  but  the  day  passed  with  only 
some  slight  skirmishing. 

At  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  in  accordance 
with  orders  from  army  headquarters,  General  Hancock 
withdrew  his  corps  from  its  position  on  the  Brock  road, 
and  covered  the  rear  of  the  army  during  its  movements 
toward  Spottsylvania  Court-house. 


CHAPTEE   XVII. 

Battle  of  the  Wilderness — General  Hancock's  Report — Difficulties  of  the 
Situation — Anticipated  Movements  not  executed — Complimentary  Ref- 
erence to  Officers  of  his  Corps  —  Splendid  Testimonial  to  Generals 
Hays  and  Wadsworth — A  Brave  Young  Massachusetts  Officer — Tabu- 
lated Statement  of  Losses  in  the  Second  Corps — General  Ilancock  in 
Command  of  Sixty  Thousand  Men. 

IN  concluding  Iris  official  report  of  this  great  battle, 
General  Hancock  says,  as  follows : 

"  I  am  aware  that  I  have  given  but  a  meager  sketch 
of  the  part  taken  by  the  troops  under  my  command  in 
the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  The  nature  of  the  country 
in  which  that  battle  was  fought  is  well  known.  It  was 
covered  by  a  dense  forest,  almost  impenetrable  by  the 
troops  in  line  of  battle,  where  manoeuvring  was  an  opera- 
tion of  extreme  difficulty  and  uncertainty. 

"  The  undergrowth  was  so  heavy  that  it  was  scarcely 
possible  to  see  more  than  a  hundred  paces  in  any  direction 
— no  movements  of  the  enemy  could  be  observed  until 
the  lines  were  almost  in  collision.  Only  the  roar  of  the 
musketry  disclosed  the  position  of  the  combatants  to 
those  who  were  at  any  distance,  and  my  knowledge  of 
what  was  occurring  on  the  field,  except  in  my  immediate 
position,  was  limited,  and  was  necessarily  derived  from 
reports  of  subordinates  commanding. 

"  The  casualties  of  service  then,  and  subsequently,  have 
rendered  it  impossible  for  me  to  obtain  the  official  reports 


148  LIFE   OF   WINFIELD   SCOTT   HAXCOCK. 

of  many  of  the  gallant  officers  who  took  a  prominent  and 
distinguished  part  in  that  great  battle.  Major-General 
Birney,  Brigadier-Generals  Wadsworth,  Stevenson,  and 
Hays  are  dead.  General  Barlow  is  in  Europe,  and  Gen- 
erals Ward  and  Owens  are  out  of  service.  I  have  applied 
to  General  Getty  for  his  report,  but  have  not  yet  received 
it.  Looking  at  the  action  after  so  long  a  time  has  elapsed, 
it  seems  that  the  expected  movement  of  Longstreet  upon 
the  left  flank  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  had  a  very 
material  effect  upon  the  result  of  the  battle.  I  was  not 
only  cautioned  officially  that  the  movement  was  being 
made,  but  many  incidents  narrated  in  the  body  of  this 
report,  such  as  the  skirmishing  and  artillery  firing  on 
General  Barlow's  flank,  the  heavy  firing  in  the  direction 
of  Todd's  tavern,  where  Sheridan  was  to  attack  Long, 
street,  and  the  report  of  the  infantry  moving  on  the 
Brock  road  from  the  direction  of  Todd's  tavern,  con- 
firmed me  in  the  belief  that  I  would  receive  a  formidable 
attack  on  my  left.  This  paralyzed  a  large  number  of  my 
best  troops,  who  would  otherwise  have  gone  into  action 
at  a  decisive  point  on  the  morning  of  the  6th. 

"  Had  Frank's  brigade  been  supported  that  morning 
by  the  remainder  of  Barlow's  division,  the  result  must 
have  been  very  disastrous  to  the  enemy,  in  his  then  shat- 
tered condition. 

"  From  accounts  from  Confederate  sources  it  is  now 
known  that  our  fierce  attack  along  the  Orange  plank  road, 
on  the  6th,  had  broken  Hill's  corps  to  pieces,  and  that 
Longstreet  was  recalled  from  the  Cartharpen  road  to  re- 
trieve the  disaster  which  had  overtaken  Hill,  while  Stuart, 
with  his  cavalry,  was  directed  to  attack  our  left. 

"I  am  not  aware  what  movements  were  made  by 
General  Burnside  near  Parker's  store  on  the  morning  of 


GENERAL  HANCOCK'S  REPORT. 

the  6th,  but  I  experienced  no  relief  from  the  attack  I 
was  informed  he  would  make  across  my  front — a  move- 
ment long  and  anxiously  waited  for. 

"  The  late  Major-General  Birney  acquitted  himself 
with  great  honor  during  the  battle.  His  command  made  a 
splendid  and  irresistible  advance  on  the  6th,  in  which  he 
entirely  overthrew  the  enemy  in  his  front. 

"Major-General  Gibbon  commanded  the  left  of  my 
line.  The  troops  of  his  division  were  sent  to  the  right 
during  the  severe  fighting  along  the  plank  road,  on  the 
5th  and  6th,  when  they  were  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Birney. 

"  Brigadier-General  Barlow,  commanding  First  Divis- 
ion, Second  Corps,  was  under  the  immediate  command 
of  General  Gibbon  during  the  battle  on  the  extreme  left 
of  my  line.  He  performed  important  services.  His 
division,  which  had  charge  of  the  support  of  nearly  all  of 
my  artillery,  did  not  go  into  action  as  a  whole,  but  each 
of  his  brigades  was  engaged  at  different  periods  on  the 
5th  and  6th. 

"  Brigadier-General  Mott,  commanding  Fourth  Divis- 
ion, Second  Corps,  was  under  the  command  of  General 
Birney  during  the  operations  of  the  5th  and  6th.  He 
displayed  his  accustomed  personal  gallantry  on  the 
field. 

"  Brigadier-General  Getty,  commanding  Second  Divis- 
ion, Sixth  Corps,  was  under  my  command  on  the  5th  and 
6th.  He  was  severely  wounded  while  engaged  with  the 
enemy  on  the  morning  of  the  6th.  Brigadier-General 
"Wheaton  succeeded  him  in  command.  His  troops  fought 
with  great  bravery  on  both  days. 

"Brigadier-General  Alexander  Hays,  that  dauntless 
soldier,  whose  intrepid  and  chivalric  bearing  on  so  many 


150  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

battle-fields  had  won  for  him  the  highest  renown,  was 
killed  at  the  head  of  his  brigade  on  the  5th. 

"  Brigadier-General  Wadsworth,  whose  brilliant  exam- 
ple and  peerless  courage  always  had  such  an  inspiriting 
effect  upon  his  soldiers,  fell  while  leading  them  against 
the  enemy  on  the  morning  of  the  6th.* 

"Commanding  First  Brigade,  Gibbon's  Division, 
Brigadier-General  Alexander  Webb ;  Colonel  (now  Briga- 
dier-General) Thomas  A.  Smythe,  commanding  the  Irish 
Brigade  of  Barlow's  division ;  and  Colonel  (now  Briga- 
dier-General) John  P.  Brooke,  commanding  Fourth  Bri- 
gade of  Barlow's  division  ;  are  entitled  to  high  praise  for 
the  manner  in  which  they  led  their  troops  into  action. 

"  Colonel  (now  Brigadier-General)  S.  S.  Carroll,  whose 
services  and  gallantry  were  conspicuous  throughout  the 
battle,  received  a  painful  wound  on  the  5th,  but  refused 
to  retire  from  the  field  or  to  give  up  his  command.  He 
particularly  distinguished  himself,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
6th,  by  the  prompt  and  skillful  manner  in  which  he  led 
his  brigade  against  the  enemy,  when  he  had  broken  the 
line  of  Mott's  and  Birney's  troops. 

"  Colonel  (now  Brigadier-General)  N.  A.  Miles,  com- 
manding First  Brigade  of  Barlow's  division,  checked  sev- 
eral attempts  of  the  enemy  to  advance  on  my  left.  In 
these  encounters  General  Miles  displayed  his  usual  skill 
and  courage. 

"Major  Henry  L.  Abbott,  Twentieth  Massachusetts 

*  When  General  Wadsworth  reported  to  General  Hancock,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Brock  and  Orange  roads  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  he  looked 
worn  out  physically.  He  was  then  an  old  man,  but  his  gallant  heart  was 
full  of  energy  and  courage.  General  Hancock  placed  him  in  command  of 
the  troops  on  the  right  of  the  plank  road,  where  his  division  went  into 
action,  and  he  was  killed  there,  on  his  line  of  battle,  not  long  after  he  left 
General  Hancock's  side.  His  body  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands. 


TABULATED  STATEMENT  OF  LOSSES  OF  SECOND  CORPS.    151 


Volunteers,  was  mortally  wounded  while  leading  his  reg- 
iment, in  the  heat  of  the  contest,  on  the  morning  of  the 
6th.  This  brilliant  young  officer,  by  his  courageous  con- 
duct in  action,  the  high  state  of  discipline  in  his  regiment, 
his  devotion  to  duty  at  all  times,  had  obtained  the  highest 
reputation  among  his  commanding  officers.  His  loss  was 
greatly  deplored. 

.  "  Brigadier-General  "Webb  speaks  highly  of  the  con- 
duct of  Colonel  (now  Brigadier-General)  Bartlett,  of  the 
Fifty-seventh  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  whose  regiment 
was  associated  in  action  with  "Webb's  brigade  for  a  short 
time  on  the  6th." 

The  following  tabulated  statement  shows  the  number 
of  casualties  occurring  in  the  Second  Corps,  save  those 
of  one  regiment,  the  Fourteenth  Indiana,  which  were  not 
reported  during  this  great  battle : 


COMMAND. 

KILLED. 

•    "WOUNDED. 

MISSING. 

TOTAL. 

Loss. 

II 

I  § 

ftj 

jfjj 

!„• 

jh 

!„• 

li 

|5 

I 

1^ 

9 

637 

Is 

t* 

|   r 

1    33 

w  rt 

Corps  Hdqrs  .  .  . 
Art'y  Brigade  .  . 
1st  Division..  .  . 

9 

1 
130 

I 

21 

3 

3 

107 

13 

874 

2d  Division  

7 

118 

40 

593 

2 

108 

!    49 

819 

3d  Division  

14 

250 

83 
145 

1490 

2729 

6 

130 

103 

186 

1870 

Total 

30 

499 

11 

348 

3576 

3762 

This  list  shows  only  the  casualties  in  the  Second 
Corps,  and  does  not  embrace  those  of  the  troops  of  the 
other  corps  commanded  by  General  Hancock  on  the  field 
—  portions  of  the  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Ninth  Corps,  and 


152  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

heavy  artillery.  At  one  time,  during  the  second  day's 
battle,  he  commanded  not  less  than  60,000  men. 

Thus,  for  two  days,  this  fierce  struggle  continued  be- 
tween these  contending  hosts,  both  buried,  as  it  were, 
in  the  chaparral  of  the  "Wilderness.  It  was  a  terrible 
scene,  unlike  any  other  battle  known  to  history.  There 
was  no  opportunity  for  strategy  or  for  the  application 
of  skill  in  manoeuvring,  for  even  brigade  commanders 
could  not  gain  a  full  view  of  their  commands  ;  much  less 
could  the  commanding  generals  see  the  armies  whose  ter- 
rible struggles  they  ought  to  have  controlled.  Even 
spectators  of  the  fight  could  see  little  of  it,  and  could  only 
judge  by  the  ear,  from  the  cheer  of  the  Federals,  or  the 
yell  of  their  enemies,  and  the  roar  of  musketry,  where 
the  fighting  was  the  fiercest,  and,  as  the  sounds  advanced 
or  receded,  to  which  side  the  advantage  leaned. 

When  Saturday,  the  7th,  dawned  upon  that  unique 
Wilderness  battle-field,  both  armies  were  weary,  bleeding, 
and  exhausted.  Ten  thousand  dead  and  wounded  men 
added  gloom  and  horror  to  that  naturally  gloomy  wilder- 
ness, while  other  phases  of  the  dread  debris  of  war  on 
every  hand  shocked  the  eye  and  sickened  the  heart. 
Neither  commander  seemed  disposed  to  assume  the 
aggressive,  so  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  severe  but 
indecisive  conflict  of  cavalry  forces  near  Todd's  tavern, 
there  was  no  renewal  of  the  battle  on  the  7th.  The  bat- 
tle of  the  Wilderness  was  a  drawn  battle ;  neither  side 
could  claim  decided  advantage,  although  the  Union  loss 
was  the  greater  in  killed  and  wounded,  especially  so  in 
the  loss  of  gallant  and  valuable  officers.  It  had  been  a 
battle  of  simple  "  hammering  "  ;  artillery  was  of  little  use  ; 
cavalry  could  scarcely  be  employed  at  all,  on  account  of 
the  dense  woods  and  underbrush;  and  the  conflict  was 


MARCHING   ON   SrOTTSYLVANIA  COURT-HOUSE.       153 

with  the  musket  and  the  bayonet — stern  and  terrible 
struggle  beneath  the  shades  of  that  mysterious  wilder- 
ness, which  concealed  from  one  portion  of  the  comba- 
tants what  the  others  were  doing. 

It  had  been  General  Grant's  intention,  in  crossing  the 
Rapidan,  to  turn  Lee's  right  flank,  and  get  between  him 
and  Richmond.  His  purpose  was  arrested  by  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness ;  but,  so  soon  as  it  was  over,  he  resumed 
his  purpose,  and  turned  his  columns  in  that  direction, 
marching  on  Spottsylvania  Court-House.  General  Lee, 
of  course,  aimed  to  foil  the  plans  of  his  adversary,  and 
marched  in  the  same  direction  by  the  roads*  nearly  par- 
allel with  that  upon  which  Grant's  army  marched — the 
Brock  road,  and  a  few  miles  west  of  it. 

*  His  chief  column  marched  along  the  road  leading  from  Parker's  store 
to  Spottsylvania  Court-Housc. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Spottsylvania  Court-house — Advance  of  the  Union  Arm}' — Lee's  Movements 
— Attack  on  Warren's  Column — The  Latter  retires,  and  the  Soldiers 
sleep  on  their  Arms — Hancock's  Corps — Splendid  Morale  of  the  Men 
— Death  of  General  Sedgwick — Killed  by  a  Sharpshooter — General 
Hancock's  Official  Report  of  the  Battle — Desperate  Fighting — The 
AVoods  on  Fire — Sharp  Repulse  of  the  Union  Army. 

SPOTTSYLVANIA  COUKT-HOUSE,  in  the  vicinity  of  which 
the  battle  which  bears  its  name  was  fought,  is  some  fif- 
teen miles  southeast  from  the  central  portion  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  Battle  of  the  "Wilderness,  in  the  direction  of 
Fredericksburg,  and  is  in  the  same  county  with  the  latter 
town.  The  features  of  the  region  around  it  are  of  the 
same  general  character,  but  the  country  is  more  open  and 
free  from  forest  and  underbrush.  Two  inconsiderable 
rivers,  the  Po  and  the  Nye,  traverse  the  district,  flow- 
ing in  a  general  southeast  course,  and  at  a  distance  from 
each  other  varying  from  six  to  ten  miles.  The  court- 
house is  more  than  half  way  from  the  nearest  point  on 
the  Po  to  the  nearest  on  the  Nye. 

The  purpose  to  march  to  Spottsylvania  was  formed 
early  on  Saturday,  the  7th  of  May ;  but  the  march  of  the 
column  did  not  begin  until  after  the  immense  trains  had 
been  withdrawn  from  their  positions  near  the  battle-field, 
and  sent  to  Chancellorville  en  route,  there  to  park  for  the 
night.  This  motion  of  the  trains  let  Lee  know  that  his 


ADVANCE  OF  THE  UNION  ARMY.  155 

enemy  was  about  to  withdraw  in  some  direction,  but  gave 
him  no  clew  to  the  objective  point. 

The  order  of  march  placed  the  Fifth  Corps  (General 
Warren)  in  the  advance,  with  instructions  to  move  rap- 
idly and  seize  Spottsylvania  Court-house.  Hancock's 
corps  was  to  follow  on  the  same  (Brock)  road,  while  Sedg- 
wick  and  Burnside  were  to  march  by  an  exterior  route  via 
Chancellorville.  But  General  Lee,  having  directed  An- 
derson, now  commanding  Longstreet's  corps,  to  march 
out  for  purposes  of  observation,  that  officer  started  about 
ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  finding  no  good  place  to  encamp, 
on  account  of  the  woods  being  on  fire,  pressed  on  and 
anticipated  "Warren  in  taking  Spottsylvania  Court-house. 

Warren  marched  at  9  P.  M.  on  the  7th,  but  was  delayed 
an  hour  and  a  half  at  Todd's  tavern  by  the  cavalry  escort 
of  General  Meade  being  in  the  way.  Next  morning,  at 
three  o'clock,  he  was  again  detained  by  the  cavalry  divis- 
ion of  General  Merritt,  which  the  day  before  had  been 
fighting  Stuart ;  and,  when  they  at  length  gave  the  road, 
Warren's  column  advanced,  and,  after  indescribable  diffi- 
culties in  removing  barricades,  two  brigades  of  Robinson's 
division,  that  had  been  deployed  in  line  of  battle,  entered 
the  clearing  two  miles  from  the  Court-house,  and  ad- 
vanced over  the  plain;  but,  before  they  had  gone  far, 
they  were  met  by  a  murderous  fire  of  musketry  from 
the  enemy. 

Wearied  with  the  battle  of  the  preceding  day,  and 
worn  out  by  the  hard  and  sleepless  night  of  marching, 
annoyed,  too,  as  they  had  been  by  Stuart's  cavalry,  it  was 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  men  faltered.  They  fell 
back  to  the  woods ;  their  general  (Kobinson)  was  severely 
wounded  ;  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  the  men  were 
rallied  and  reformed.  Griffin's  division,  which  had  ad- 


156  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

vanced  to  Robinson's  right,  was  received  with  a  similar 
severe  fire,  and  wavered  and  fell  back.  Thus  began  the 
fierce  and  protracted  battle  of  Spottsylvania ;  and  we 
proceed  to  detail  the  part  borne  in  that  series  of  terrible 
struggles  by  General  Hancock. 

As  already  intimated,  orders  for  the  movement  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  from  the  Wilderness  had  been 
issued  on  the  7th  of  May.  The  army  was  to  move  by 
its  left  flank.  In  this  operation,  Hancock's  corps  (the 
Second)  was  to  follow  the  Fifth  (Warren's).  During  the 
night  of  the  7th  the  troops  slept  upon  their  arms,  along 
the  Brock  road,  behind  the  breastworks;  and  the  poor 
fellows  had  need  of  better  rest.  They  had  been  march- 
ing and  fighting  so  long,  and  with  scarcely  any  oppor- 
tunity of  taking  food,  that  they  were  almost  exhausted. 
But  the  conduct  of  this  corps,  under  all  the  trying  cir- 
cumstances in  which  it  was  placed — called,  as  it  was,  to 
inarch  and  fight  continuously  for  twelve  successive  days 
— illustrates  the  wondrous  courage  and  endurance  of  the 
American  soldier,  and  also  the  incalculable  value  of  thor- 
ough organization  and  drill  as  elements  of  prowess  in  an 
army.  One  reason  why  Hancock's  men  could  do  and 
endure  so  much  was  that  he  bestowed  great  attention 
upon  the  complete  preparation  of  the  individual  soldier 
for  his  work,  and  also  upon  the  thorough  organisation  of 
his  corps,  from  the  platoon  to  the  division,  in  every  move- 
ment, separate  and  combined,  that  might  render  them 
wary  and  provident  in  the  camp  and  on  the  march,  and 
effective  in  the  field.  Careful  of  their  comfort  and  their 
health,  he  won  their  love  and  attachment ;  and,  such  was 
their  perfect  confidence  in  his  great  military  ability, 
that  they  would  do  anything  for  him  that  was  possible. 
And  he  was  very  happy  in  having  subordinate  com- 


HANCOCK'S  CORPS.  157 

manders  who  seconded  his  efforts  for  the  good  of  the 
corps  and  the  perfection  of  its  morale. 

About  10  o'clock  at  night  Generals  Grant  and  Meade 
came  along  the  lines  to  Hancock's  headquarters,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Brock  and  the  Orange  roads,  and  re- 
mained there  until  near  mornino;  of  the  8th. 

O 

The  Second  Corps  was  to  have  moved  at  10  or  11 
p.  M.  on  the  night  of  the  7th,  following  Warren's  corps ; 
the  latter  corps  occupied  the  road  until  daylight,  so  that 
the  head  of  General  Hancock's  column  did  not  move 
until  after  that  hour. 

The  Second  Corps  moved  to  Todd's  tavern,  arriving 
at  that  place  about  9  o'clock  A.  M.,  relieving  Gregg's  di- 
vision of  cavalry  there.  Barlow's  and  Mott's  divisions 
were  placed  in  position  to  cover  the  Brock  and  Catharpen 
roads,  Birney  being  held  in  reserve,  and  preparations 
were  made  by  intrenching  the  lines  to  receive  the  en- 
emy, in  case  he  attempted  an  advance  in  that  direction. 
It  was  also  necessary  to  hold  strongly  the  roads  centering 
at  Todd's  tavern,  as  a  protection  to  the  heavy  artillery 
and  trains  following  the  army  in  its  movements  toward 
Spottsylvania. 

About  11  A.  M.  on  the  8th  Colonel  IS".  A.  Miles,  with 
his  brigade  of  Barlow's  division,  one  brigade  of  Gregg's 
cavalry,  and  a  battery,  made  a  reconnoissance  on  the 
Catharpen  road  toward  Corbin's  bridge.  When  this 
force  had  reached  a  point  within  a  half  mile  of  the 
bridge,  the  enemy  opened  upon  it  with  artillery  from 
the  high  ground  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Po  River. 
Miles  at  once  formed  line,  opened  upon  the  enemy  with 
his  battery,  retaining  his  position  until  5.30  p.  M.,  when 
General  Hancock  sent  orders  directing  him  to  return  to 
Todd's  tavern.  As  Miles's  command  was  put  in  motion 


158  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

in  that  direction,  he  was  attacked  by  Mahone's  brigade  of 
Hill's  corps,  then  on  the  march  to  Spottsylvania.  As 
soon  as  the  firing  between  Miles  and  Mahone  was  heard 
by  General  Hancock,  he  sent  a  brigade  of  infantry  to 
support  our  troops,  and  ordered  that  others  should  be 
held  in  readiness  to  move  to  their  assistance,  if  required, 
at  the  same  time  directing  Miles  to  retire  slowly  upon 
our  main  line.  Miles,  as  usual  with  him,  carried  out 
his  instructions  with  spirit  and  success,  repelling  hand- 
somely two  attacks  made  by  the  enemy,  and  inflicting 
considerable  loss  on  him. 

In  the  mean  time,  at  1.30  p.  M.,  General  Meade  di- 
rected General  Hancock  to  send  a  division  of  his  corps 
to  a  point  about  midway  between  Todd's  tavern  and 
Spottsylvania,  as  a  support  to  the  Fifth  (Warren's)  and 
Sixth  (Sedgwick's)  corps.  General  Gibbon's  division 
was  sent  on  this  service.  At  7.50  p.  M.  Burton's  brigade 
of  heavy  artillery  reported  for  duty  to  General  Hancock, 
by  order  of  General  Meade.  It  was  massed  in  rear  of 
the  line  of  battle  of  the  Second  Corps,  and  was  with- 
drawn from  that  position  later  in  the  evening  by  order 
from  army  headquarters. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th  there  were  some  indica- 
tions of  an  advance  by  the  enemy  on  our  lines ;  but  no 
fighting  occurred,  save  that  the  Confederate  sharpshooters 
were  very  active,  and  early  in  the  day  their  deadly  aim 
brought  down  a  distinguished  victim,  in  the  person  of 
General  Sedgwick,  the  brave  and  beloved  commander 
of  the  Sixth  Corps.  He  was  shot  in  the  face  while  rally- 
ing some  of  his  men  for  wincing  at  the  zip-zipping  of 
the  enemy's  bullets,  and  died  instantly.  This  was  a  great 
loss  to  the  Union  army.  He  was  a  model  soldier,  of 
great  skill,  and  of  lion-hearted  courage.  He  was  sorely 


CROSSING  TEE  RIVER  PO.  159 

lamented  by  his  brother  officers  and  by  the  whole  army. 
He  was  a  native  of  Connecticut. 

At  noon  Birney  and  Barlow  moved  their  divisions  to 
a  point  which  connected  them  with  Gibbon  on  the  high 
clear  ground  overlooking  the  Po,  between  Todd's  tavern 
and  Spottsylvania  Court-house,  Mott  remaining  to  hold 
the  roads  centering  at  Todd's  tavern.  Burton's  brigade 
of  heavy  artillery,  which  had  again  been  sent  to  report  to 
General  Hancock,  was  also  stationed  there. 

During  the  afternoon  the  enemy's  wagon  train  was 
observed  from  our  line  of  battle  (the  line  of  Birney's, 
Gibbon's,  and  Barlow's  divisions)  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Po,  on  the  Block  House  road,  moving  toward  Spott- 
sylvania. Our  batteries  shelled  it  sharply,  and  forced  it 
to  take  another  road. 

The  river  (Po)  was  examined  with  a  view  of  crossing 
it,  and  at  6  p.  M.,  in  pursuance  of  orders  from  General 
Meade,  Birney's,  Barlow's,  and  Gibbon's  divisions  were 
directed  to  force  the  passage. 

Brooke's  brigade  of  Barlow's  division  had  the  advance 
in  this  movement.  The  south  side  of  the  stream  was 
held  by  the  enemy  with  only  a  small  force  of  cavalry 
and  a  section  of  artillery,  but  the  crossing  was  extremely 
difficult,  owing  to  the  depth  of  the  water  and  the  dense 
undergrowth  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 

Brooke  pushed  forward  rapidly,  driving  the  enemy 
back,  and  seizing  the  cross  roads  between  Glady  Run  and 
the  Po.  Birney  crossed  the  river  higher  up,  where  he 
was  stoutly  resisted.  Gibbon  crossed  below  Barlow,  and 
met  with  no  opposition.  The  troops  were  now  thrown 
rapidly  forward  along  the  Block  House  road  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  wooden  bridge  over  the  Po  ;  but  night  came 
on  before  they  could  reach  that  point. 


160  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

General  Hancock  was  anxious  to  have  seized  this 
bridge  and  recrossed  the  river  before  ordering  a  halt,  but 
the  skirmishers  could  not  be  kept  moving  through  the 
thick  wood  in  the  darkness,  although  a  portion  of  them 
reached  the  river,  which  was  ascertained  to  be  too  deep 
for  fording  at  that  point.  He  was  therefore  compelled 
to  suspend  movements  until  the  following  morning. 

During  the  afternoon  of  the  9th,  Mott's  division  was 
withdrawn  from  Todd's  tavern  (by  order  of  General 
Meade),  and  moved  to  a  position  in  front  of  Spottsyl- 
vania,  on  the  left  of  Wright's  (Sixth  Corps). 

On  the  evening  of  the  9th,  General  Hancock  directed 
three  bridges  to  be  thrown  over  the  stream :  one  at  the 
point  at  which  Brooke  had  crossed,  one  (a  pontoon)  where 
Gibbon  had  passed  over,  and  a  third  a  short  distance 
lower. 

At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  a  close  recon- 
iioissance  was  made  of  the  wooden  bridge  across  the  Po, 
on  the  Block  House  road,  with  the  intention  of  forcing  a 
passage  over  it,  if  it  should  be  practicable  to  do  so.  The 
reconnoissance  discovered  the  enemy  in  force  on  the  op- 
posite side,  in  earthworks  which  covered  the  bridge  and 
its  approaches.  After  a  careful  survey  of  the  position 
had  been  made,  General  Hancock  concluded  not  to  at- 
tempt to  carry  the  bridge  by  assault,  but  ordered  Brooke's 
brigade  of  Barlow's  division  to  a  point  higher  up  the 
stream  (where  a  reconnoissance  had  been  made  by  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Morgan,  General  Hancock's  Chief  of 
Staff),  to  ascertain  if  a  crossing  could  be  effected  there. 
To  cover  Brooke's  movement,  three  or  four  regiments  of 
Birney's  division  were  sent  out  on  the  Andrews's  tavern 
road. 

Brooke  soon  forced  a  crossing,  after  a  sharp  contest, 


HANCOCK'S  OFFICIAL  REPORT   OF  THE  BATTLE. 

at  a  point  about  one  mile  above  the  wooden  bridge,  and 
discovered  the  enemy's  intrenched  line  occupied  by  in- 
fantry and  artillery,  running  parallel  to  and  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  stream.  Colonel  Hamill,  Sixty-sixth  ]STew 
York  Volunteers,  distinguished  himself  in  this  affair. 

"While  these  movements  were  in  progress,  General 
Meade  informed  General  Hancock  that  he  designed  as- 
saulting the  enemy's  works  on  Laurel  Hill,  in  front  of 
General  Warren's  (Fifth  Corps)  position,  near  Alsop's 
house.  General  Hancock  was  instructed  to  move  two  of 
his  divisions  to  the  left,  to  take  part  in  the  assault,  and  to 
assume  command  of  the  troops  which  were  to  participate 
in  it. 

Gibbon's  and  Birney's  divisions  were  at  once  moved 
to  the  north  bank  of  the  stream,  and  massed  in  rear  of 
Warren's  corps,  leaving  Barlow  to  hold  the  ground  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Po.  General  Hancock  accompanied 
the  two  former  divisions,  and  proceeded  to  reconnoitre 
the  ground  on  which  the  attack  was  to  be  made. 

"While  Birney  was  withdrawing  from  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  the  regiments  which  he  had  ordered  out 
some  distance  to  the  front,  toward  Andrews's  tavern,  to 
cover  Brooke's  movements,  were  attacked  near  Glady 
Run  and  driven  in,  and,  as  they  retired,  the  skirmishers 
of  Barlow's  division  became  sharply  engaged  in  turn,  and 
it  now  became  evident  that  the  enemy  was  advancing  in 
force  upon  Barlow's  position. 

We  now  quote  as  follows  from  General  Hancock's 
official  report,  describing  what  followed : 

"  The  Major-General  commanding  [Meade],  having  re- 
ceived this  information,  and  not  desiring  to  bring  on  a 
battle  on  the  south  side  of  the  Po,  directed  me  to  with- 


1G2  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

draw  Barlow's  division  to  the  north  bank  of  the  river  at 
once,  and  to  give  my  personal  supervision  to  the  move- 
ment. 

"  I  immediately  joined  General  Barlow,  and  instructed 
him  to  prepare  his  command  to  recross  the  river,  on  the 
bridges  we  had  laid  in  the  morning.  The  enemy  was 
then  driving  in  his  skirmishers.  The  withdrawal  of  Bar- 
low's troops  commenced  about  2  P.  M.  Two  of  his  bri- 
gades— Brooke's  and  Brown's  —  occupied  an  advanced 
position  in  front  of  the  Block  House  road,  between  it 
and  the  Po.  Miles's  and  Smythe's  brigades  were  formed 
along  that  road ;  the  left  resting  on  a  sharp  crest,  within 
a  few  hundred  paces  of  the  wooden  bridge.  In  rear  of 
this  line,  a  broad,  open  plain  extended  to  the  point  where 
our  pontoon  bridge  was  thrown  across  the  river.  Gen- 
eral Barlow,  anticipating  an  advance  of  the  enemy,  had 
constructed  a  line  of  breastworks  parallel  to  the  Block 
House  road,  a  short  distance  in  front  of  it,  and  had  made 
other  necessary  dispositions  to  receive  him. 

"  When  I  directed  General  Barlow  to  commence  re- 
tiring his  command,  he  recalled  Brooke's  and  Brown's 
brigades,  and  formed  them  on  the  right  of  Miles's  and 
Smythe's  brigades,  on  a  wooded  crest,  in  rear  of  the 
Block  House  road,  about  one  hundred  paces  in  rear  of 
the  line  of  breastworks.  As  soon  as  Brooke's  and  Brown's 
brigades  had  occupied  this  position,  Miles  and  S  my  the 
were  ordered  to  retire  to  the  crest  in  front  of  our  bridges 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Po.  Here  they  formed  line  of 
battle,  throwing  up  hastily  a  light  line  of  breastworks,  of 
rails  and  such  other  materials  as  they  could  collect  on  the 
ground.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  prepared  to  resist 
the  enemy,  should  he  overpower  Brooke  and  Brown,  and 
attempt  to  carry  the  bridges.  I  directed  that  all  the  bat- 


HANCOCK'S  OFFICIAL  EEPORT  OF  THE  BATTLE.      1(53 

terics  on  the  south,  side  of  the  river,  save  Arnold's  A, 
First  Rhode  Island  Battery,  should  cross  to  the  north 
bank,  and  take  position  commanding  the  bridges.  These 
dispositions  had  scarcely  been  completed,  when  the  enemy, 
having  driven  in  the  skirmishers  of  Brooke's  and  Brown's 
brigades,  pressed  forward  and  occupied  the  breastworks 
in  front  of  them ;  then,  advancing  in  line  of  battle  sup- 
ported by  columns,  they  attacked  with  great  vigor  and 
determination,  but  were  met  by  a  heavy  and  destructive 
fire,  which  compelled  them  to  fall  back  at  once  in  con- 
fusion, with  severe  losses  in  killed  and  wounded.  En- 
couraged, doubtless,  by  the  withdrawal  of  Miles's  and 
Smythe's  brigades  from  our  front  line,  which  it  is  sup- 
posed they  mistook  for  a  forced  retreat,  they  reformed 
their  troops,  and  again  assaulted  Brooke's  and  Brown's 
brigades.  The  combat  now  became  close  and  bloody.  The 
enemy,  in  vastly  superior  numbers,  flushed  with  the  an- 
ticipation of  an  easy  victory,  appeared  to  be  determined 
to  crush  the  small  force  opposing  them,  and,  pressing  for- 
ward with  loud  yells,  forced  their  way  close  up  to  our 
lines,  delivering  a  terrible  musketry  fire  as  they  advanced. 
Our  brave  troops  again  resisted  their  onset  with  undaunted 
resolution ;  their  fire  along  the  whole  line  was  so  con- 
tinuous and  deadly  that  the  enemy  found  it  impossible  to 
withstand  it,  but  broke  again  and  retreated  in  the  wildest 
disorder,  leaving  the  ground  in  our  front  strewed  with 
their  dead  and  wounded.  During  the  heat  of  this  con- 
test the  woods  on  the  right  and  rear  of  our  troops  took 
fire ;  the  flames  had  now  approached  close  to  oar  line, 
rendering  it  almost  impossible  to  retain  the  position 
longer. 

"  The  last  bloody  repulse  of  the  enemy  had  quieted 
them  for  a  time,  and,  during  this  lull  in  the  fight,  General 


164:  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Barlow  directed  Brooke  and  Brown  to  abandon  their 
positions,  and  retire  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Po — their 
right  and  rear  being  enveloped  in  the  burning  wood,  their 
front  assailed  by  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  enemy. 
This  withdrawal  of  the  troops  was  attended  with  extreme 
difficulty  and  peril ;  but  the  movement  was  commenced  at 
once,  the  men  displaying  such  coolness  and  steadiness  as 
is  rarely  exhibited  in  the  presence  of  dangers  so  appalling. 
It  seemed,  indeed,  that  these  gallant  soldiers  were  de- 
voted to  destruction.  The  enemy,  perceiving  that  our 
line  was  retiring,  again  advanced,  but  was  again  promptly 
checked  by  our  troops,  who  fell  back  through  the  burning 
forest  with  admirable  order  and  deliberation,  though,  in 
doing  so,  many  of  them  were  killed  and  wounded — 
numbers  of  the  latter  perishing  in  the  flames.  One 
section  of  Arnold's  battery  had  been  pushed  forward  by 
Captain  Arnold  during  the  fight,  to  within  a  short  distance 
of  Brooke's  line,  where  it  had  done  effective  service. 
When  ordered  to  retire,  the  horses  attached  to  one  of  the 
pieces,  becoming  terrified  by  the  fire,  and  unmanageable, 
dragged  the  gun  between  two  trees,  where  it  became  so 
firmly  wedged  that  it  could  not  be  moved.  Every  ex- 
ertion was  made  by  Captain  Arnold  and  some  of  the 
infantry  to  extricate  the  gun,  but  without  success.  They 
were  compelled  to  abandon  it.  This  was  the  first  gun 
ever  lost  ty  the  Second  Corps. 

"  Brooke's  brigade,  after  emerging  from  the  wood, 
had  the  open  plain  to  traverse  between  the  Block  House 
road  and  the  Po.  This  plain  was  swept  by  the  enemy's 
musketry  in  front,  and  by  their  artillery  on  the  heights 
above  the  Block  House  bridge,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river. 

"  Brown's  brigade,  in  retiring,  was  compelled  to  pass 


HANCOCK'S  OFFICIAL  REPORT  OF  THE  BATTLE. 

through  the  entire  wood  in  its  rear,  which  was  then  burn- 
ing furiously,  and,  although  under  a  heavy  fire,  it  extri- 
cated itself  from  the  forest,  losing  very  heavily  in  killed 
and  wounded.  Colonel  Brown  crossed  the  river  some 
distance  above  the  pontoon  bridge,  forming  his  troops  on 
the  right  of  Brooke,  who  had  also  crossed  to  the  north 
bank  on  the  pontoon  bridge.  I  feel  that  I  can  not  speak 
too  highly  of  the  bravery,  soldierly  conduct,  and  disci- 
pline displayed  by  Brooke's  and  Brown's  brigades  on  this 
occasion.  Attacked  by  an  entire  division  of  the  enemy 
(Heth's),  they  repeatedly  beat  him  back,  holding  their 
ground  with  unyielding  courage  until  they  were  ordered 
to  withdraw,  when  they  retired  with  such  order  and 
steadiness  as  to  merit  the  highest  praise.  Colonel  James 
A.  Beaver,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  D.  L.  Stryker,  Sec- 
ond Delaware  Volunteers,  are  particularly  mentioned  by 
Colonel  Brooke  for  marked  services  and  conspicuous 
courage.  The  enemy  regarded  this  as  a  considerable 
victory,  and  General  Heth  published  a  congratulatory 
order  to  his  troops,  endorsed  by  General  Hill  and  General 
Lee,  praising  them  for  their  valor  in  driving  us  from 
our  intrenched  lines.  Had  not  Barlow's  fine  division, 
then  in  full  strength,  received  imperative  orders  to 
withdraw,  Heth's  division  would  have  had  no  cause  for 
congratulation.  There  were  no  more  than  two  brigades 
of  Barlow's  division  engaged  at  any  one  time.  When 
General  Barlow  commenced  withdrawing  his  troops,  I  had 
directed  General  Birney  to  move  his  division  to  the  right, 
and  occupy  the  heights  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Po 
commanding  our  bridges,  in  order  to  cover  Barlow's 
crossing.  The  artillery,  under  command  of  Colonel  J. 
C.  Tidball,  Commander  of  Artillery,  Second  Corps,  was 


166  LI^E  OF  WINTIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

placed  in  position  for  the  same  purpose.  As  soon  as 
Brooke's  and  Brown's  brigades  had  crossed  the  Po,  Gen- 
eral Barlow  directed  Colonel  Smythe,  commanding  Sec- 
ond Brigade,  to  march  his  command  across  the  pontoon 
bridge,  and  take  position  immediately  on  the  north  side, 
where  his  fire  would  sweep  the  bridges,  in  case  the  enemy 
designed  forcing  a  passage.  Miles's  brigade  was  thus  left 
to  cross  last,  and  to  tear  up  the  bridges  at  that  point. 

"  I  had  sent  a  detachment  to  destroy  the  upper  bridge 
when  the  withdrawal  was  determined  upon.  The  enemy, 
now  seeing  a  few  regiments  remaining  on  the  south  bank, 
attempted  to  cross  the  open  plain  in  their  front,  but  were 
at  once  driven  back  by  General  Miles's  troops  and  our 
artillery  on  the  heights.  A  furious  artillery  fire  was  also 
opened  by  the  enemy's  batteries  on  the  heights  above  the 
wooden  bridge  over  the  Po.  Our  batteries  replied  with 
a  well-directed  fire,  which  speedily  silenced  them,  explod- 
ing one  of  their  caissons,  and  forcing  them  to  withdraw 
their  guns.  Miles's  brigade  now  crossed  to  the  north 
bank,  taking  up  the  pontoon  bridge,  and  thoroughly  de- 
stroying the  other.  The  enemy  made  no  attempt  to  cross 
the  stream." 

General  Hancock  now  directed  Birney  to  return  with 
his  division  to  Warren's  right,  to  take  part  in  the  contem- 
plated assault  on  Laurel  Hill,  Barlow's  division  remain- 
ing on  Birney's  right,  in  the  position  it  had  taken  when 
it  had  crossed  the  river. 

General  Hancock  was  not  able  to  return  to  Warren's 
front  until  5.30  p.  M.,  and  then  found  an  assault  in  prog- 
ress against  the  enemy's  works  by  the  Fifth  Corps  (War- 
ren's) and  Gibbon's  division  of  the  Second  Corps.  This 
assault  was  made  by  General  Warren  in  accordance  with 


SHARP  REPULSE  OF  THE  UNION  ARMY.  167 

orders  he  had  received  from  General  Meade,  General 
"Warren  having  reported  the  circumstances  then  favorable, 
during  General  Hancock's  absence  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Po  supervising  the  withdrawal  of  Barlow's  division. 

The  position  held  by  the  enemy  was  the  crest  of  a 
densely  wooded  hill,  crowned  with  earthworks,  his  front 
being  swept  by  the  fire  of  his  artillery  and  infantry. 
The  approach  to  the  position  was  obstructed  by  a  dense 
growth  of  low  cedars,  forming,  with  their  sharp,  inter- 
lacing branches,  a  natural  abatis.  The  troops  made  a 
gallant  struggle  for  a  time,  and  even  entered  the  works 
at  one  or  two  points,  but  were  driven  out,  and  finally 
wavered  and  fell  back.  Gibbon's  loss  was  quite  heavy 
in  this  assault.  A  few  moments  after  it  was  known  that 
this  assault  had  failed,  General  Hancock  received  orders 
from  General  Meade  directing  him  to  make  another  at- 
tack at  the  same  point  at  6.30  p.  M.  Preparations  for  this 
advance  had  just  been  completed,  when  General  Hancock 
was  ordered  to  defer  the  movement,  in  case  the  troops 
were  not  already  in  motion,  and  to  send  a  heavy  force  to 
the  right  of  Barlow's  division  to  check  a  column  of  the 
enemy  reported  to  have  passed  the  Po,  and  to  be  moving 
against  our  right  flank. 

Instructions  for  the  execution  of  this  order  were 
scarcely  given  by  General  Hancock  when  it  was  counter- 
manded by  General  Meade,  and  he  was  directed  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  attack  on  the  enemy's  position  in  his  front 
at  Laurel  Hill,  as  previously  directed.  The  assault  was 
then  made  under  General  Hancock's  orders  by  the  Fifth 
Corps  and  portions  of  Gibbon's  and  Birney's  divisions  of 
the  Second  Corps. 

The  troops  encountered  the  same  obstructions  which 
had  forced  them  back  when  they  had  assailed  this  point 


168  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

under  General  Warren's  orders  at  5  p.  M.,  and  they  were 
again  compelled  to  retire  with  considerable  loss.  A  good 
deal  of  confusion  prevailed  in  "Ward's  brigade  of  Birney's 
division.  The  heavy  firing  did  not  cease  until  near  8 
p.  M.  Mott's  division  (Second  Corps),  then  in  position  on 
the  left  of  the  Sixth  Corps  (some  distance  to  the  left  of 
the  point  of  assault  at  Laurel  Hill  and  to  the  left  of  the 
Fifth  Corps),  also  participated  in  the  general  attack  at 
5  p.  M. 

During  the  operations  of  the  10th,  in  front  of  Laurel 
Hill,  the  gallant  and  esteemed  Medical  Director  of  the 
Second  Corps,  Surgeon  A.  M.  Dougherty,  was  struck  by 
a  piece  of  a  shell  which  burst  among  the  staff  of  General 
Hancock.  The  same  shell  passed  through  the  corps 
flag,  which  always  accompanied  the  General  on  the  field, 
and  tore  it  almost  to  shreds. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Spottsylvania  Court-house — The  Second  Corps  ordered  to  attack — A  Night 
March — Forming  the  Line  of  Battle — The  Attack  on  the  Enemy's  Pick- 
ets — Charging  the  Intrenchments  —  The  Irish  Brigade — The  Entire 
Enemy's  Line  carried  by  Assault  —  Splendid  Victory — Rebel  Losses — 
Anecdote  of  the  Capture  of  the  Rebel  General  George  Stuart — The 
Enemy  reenforced — Their  Desperate  Efforts  to  recapture  their  Line — 
General  Egan  "  holding  the  Fort." 

THE  Second  Corps  had  no  serious  fighting  on  the 
llth.  At  4  p.  M.  of  that  day  General  Hancock  received 
the  following  order  from  army  headquarters : 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC,  Hay  11,  1864,  4  p.  M. 

"  GENERAL  :  You  will  move  as  soon  after  dark  as  it 
can  be  done,  without  attracting  the  enemy's  attention,  the 
divisions  of  Birney  and  Barlow,  with  which,  and  Mott's 
division,  you  will  assault  the  enemy's  line  from  the  left 
of  the  position  now  occupied  by  General  Wright,  and 
between  him  and  General  Burnside.  The  position  occu- 
pied by  General  Mott,  or  the  left  of  it,  near  Hicks's  house, 
would  be  a  suitable  point.  This  assault  should  be  made 
at  4  p.  M.,  as  promptly  as  possible.  There  are  two  roads 
by  which  you  can  move.  Gibbon's  division  can  not  be 
moved  without  giving  notice  to  the  enemy.  He  will  be 
moved  before  daylight,  and,  if  he  can  possibly  be  spared, 
he  will  be  sent  to  you. 

(Signed)     "GEORGE  G.  MEADE,  Major- General. 
"  MAJOR-GENERAL  HANCOCK,  Commanding  Second  Oorps." 
8 


170  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

It  will  be  admitted  that,  considering  the  late  hour  at 
which  the  order  was  received,  and  the  consequent  impos- 
sibility of  making  the  necessary  examination  of  the  posi- 
tion to  be  assailed,  there  was  little  hope  for  such  brilliant 
success  as  followed.  On  the  application  of  General  Han- 
cock to  army  headquarters,  to  have  the  ground  pointed 
out  to  him,  so  that  he  could  determine  his  route  of  march 
accurately,  Colonel  Comstock  was  sent  to  designate  the 
point  at  which  the  assault  was  to  be  made.  Arriving  at 
General  Hancock's  headquarters,  that  officer,  accompa- 
nied by  three  of  General  Hancock's  staff,  set  out  to  de- 
cide upon  the  exact  point  at  which  the  enemy's  lines 
should  be  assaile'd.  Unfortunately  Colonel  Comstock 
missed  his  way,  and,  after  riding  many  miles,  the  party 
found  themselves  on  General  Burnside's  lines  (Ninth 
Corps),  beyond  the  point  of  intended  assault.  Colonel 
Comstock  took  a  survey  of  the  angle  (the  one  which 
General  Hancock  carried  the  next  morning)  from  the 
hill  opposite  the  Lendrum  house,  but  gave  no  indication 
that  it  was  to  be  the  point  of  attack.  It  was  nearly  dark 
before  the  party  arrived  at  the  "brown  house."  Here 
General  Mott  was  found,  but,  as  before  stated,  could  tell 
but  little  about  the  ground.  An  attempt  made  by  him 
that  day  to  drive  in  the  enemy's  pickets,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  gaining  some  information,  had  partly  failed, 
and  nothing  remained  to  be  done  but  to  add  to  the 
little  learned  from  him,  and  his  field  officer  of  the  day, 
by  inspecting  so  much  of  the  ground  as  was  held  by  our 
pickets. 

It  was  barely  possible,  before  night  set  in,  to  se- 
lect the  line  for  the  formation  of  the  corps,  and,  it 
being  too  dark  to  see  more,  the  officers  of  General  Han- 
cock's staff  returned  to  him  as  rapidly  as  their  horses 


A  NIGHT  MARCH.  171 

could  carry  them,  to  report  the  information  gained  by 
them.* 

At  10  P.  M.  Birney's  and  Barlow's  divisions  were  put 
in  motion,  guided  by  Major  Mendell,  of  the  Engineers. 
The  night  was  pitchy  dark,  the  road  narrow  and  bad,  and 
the  rain  falling  heavily.  The  march,  under  these  circum- 
stances, was  made  with  great  difficulty.  The  column 
moved  very  close  to  the  enemy's  line,  and  was  in  constant 
danger  of  a  collision.  The  men  were  worn  out  from  con- 
stant fighting  and  marching  (they  had  been  under  fire 
every  day  since  the  5th  of  May),  and  almost  slept  on  their 
feet,  as  they  dragged  along  at  the  slow  pace  such  a  column 
is  obliged  to  maintain  under  such  circumstances. 

At  one  point,  where  the  command  was  closing  up  on 
the  head  of  the  column,  a  runaway  pack-mule,  bursting 
suddenly  through  the  sleepy  ranks  of  these  nervous  and 
worn-out  men  in  the  darkness,  seemed  to  threaten  a 
general  stampede,  and,  at  another,  the  accidental  discharge 
of  a  musket  startled  the  column  into  the  temporary  be- 
lief that  the  corps  had  come  in  contact  with  the  enemy's 
line. 

About  midnight,  the  head  of  the  column  arrived  at 
the  "  brown  house  "  (in  front  of  the  point  to  be  attacked), 
near  which  it  was  proposed  to  form  the  troops.  Passing 

*  Before  General  Hancock  moved  to  Spottsylvania  on  the  llth,  he 
asked  General  Meade  if  he  had  any  accurate  information  concerning  the 
enemy's  position,  to  which  General  Meade  replied  "  No,"  and  that  he  only 
understood  that  a  certain  house,  designated  on  the  map  as  the  "white 
house  "  (pointing  it  out  to  General  Hancock)  was  inside  of  the  enemy's 
lines.  When  General  Hancock  arrived  at  the  "  brown  house,"  he  drew  a 
line  on  the  map  between  the  latter  and  the  "  white  house,"  then  drew  a  per- 
pendicular to  that  line,  determined  its  bearing  by  the  compass,  and  on 
that  line  established  the  troops.  Fortunately,  the  "  white  house  "  stood  just 
where  General  Meade  understood  it  to  be,  and  the  troops  struck  the  "  sa- 
lient "  when  they  advanced. 


172  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

as  quietly  as  possible  over  a  slight  line  of  rifle-pits,  which 
had  been  thrown  up  there  by  General  Mott's  command, 
our  troops  moved  close  up  to  our  picket  line  (about  twelve 
hundred  yards  distant  from  the  enemy's  intrenchments), 
where  our  formation  for  the  attack  was  made.  Gibbon's 
division  in  the  mean  time  came  up  and  joined  Mott  at 
the  "brown  house,"  so  that  General  Hancock  had  his 
whole  corps  for  the  work  before  him.  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Merriam,  Sixteenth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  field 
officer  of  the  day  of  Mott's  division,  having  some  knowl- 
edge of  the  ground,  rendered  invaluable  assistance  to  Gen- 
eral Hancock  in  the  formation  of  the  troops.  He  fell, 
mortally  wounded,  the  next  morning,  greatly  regretted. 
Lieutenant  -  Colonel  Willian  and  Captain  Thompson  of 
General  Mott's  staff  also  gave  assistance ;  but  the  princi- 
pal labor  of  the  formation  fell  upon  General  Hancock 
and  the  three  officers  of  his  staff  (Colonel  C.  H.  Morgan, 
Chief  of  Staff,  Second  Corps,  and  Captains  Mitchell 
and  Wilson,  Aides-de-camp)  who  had  reconnoitered  the 
ground  the  previous  evening  with  Colonel  Comstock,  of 
General  Grant's  staff.  Between  our  lines  and  the  enemy's 
works  the  ground  ascended  sharply,  and  was  thickly 
wooded,  with  the  exception  of  a  cleared  space  about  four 
hundred  yards  wide,  extending  to  the  enemy's  position, 
in  front  of  the  Lendrum  house,  and  curving  to  the  right 
toward  the  salient  of  his  works.  A  small  rivulet  ran 
parallel  to  and  just  in  front  of  our  line. 

The  formation  for  the  assault  was  as  follows :  Barlow's 
division  in  two  lines  of  battalions  in  mass  (across  the  clear 
space  before  mentioned),  Brooke's  and  Miles's  brigades 
in  front,  Brown's  and  Smythe's  brigades  in  the  second 
line,  each  regiment  doubled  on  the  center,  with  very 
close  intervals. 


THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  ENEMY'S  PICKETS.  173 

Birney  formed  on  Barlow's  right  in  two  deployed  lines. 
In  his  front  was  marshy  ground  (the  small  rivulet  men- 
tioned above),  and  a  dense  wood  of  low  pines.  Mott 
formed  in  rear  of  Birney,  and  Gibbon  in  reserve. 

It  was  almost  daylight  when  General  Hancock  had 
completed  these  preparations.  A  heavy  fog  delayed  the 
advance  until  half  past  four,  when  the  word  was  given. 
At  this  moment  General  Birney  rode  up  to  General  Han- 
cock, and  said  his  men  could  not  pass  the  swamp  and 
small  stream  directly  in  front.  "  General,  you  must  pass 
it"  said  General  Hancock.  Birney  passed  the  obstacle, 
and  pushed  forward,  keeping  up  well  with  Barlow,  who 
was  now  pressing  up  the  slope  in  quick  time,  but  without 
firing  a  shot,  marching  over  the  enemy's  pickets,  who 
stood  in  silent  wonder  and  bewilderment  as  they  were 
enveloped  in  this  solid  mass  of  twenty  thousand  men  who 
suddenly  came  upon  them  through  the  dense  fog. 

From  the  high  ground  surrounding  the  Lendrum 
house  the  enemy's  picket  reserve  opened  a  galling  fire 
upon  Barlow's  flank,  mortally  wounding,  among  others, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  D.  L.  Stryker,  Second  Delaware  Vol- 
unteers, who  had  highly  distinguished  himself  on  the 
10th. 

Our  heavy  column  moved  on  regardless  of  this  annoy- 
ance, but  General  Hancock,  having  brought  up  General 
Carroll's  brigade,  Second  Division,  to  cover  Barlow's  right 
flank,  that  officer  (Carroll)  promptly  attacked  the  picket 
reserve  of  the  enemy  at  the  Lendrum  house,  which  re- 
sisted stoutly,  and  received  pretty  rough  treatment  from 
Carroll's  men  for  having  fired  into  the  rear  of  our  col- 
umn long  after  it  had  broken  through  their  picket  line 
and  passed  their  position. 

As  soon  as  the  curve  in  the  clearing  permitted  Bar- 


174:  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

low's  men  to  see  the  red  earth  of  the  enemy's  intrench- 
ments  at  the  salient,  the  mercurial  temperament  of  the 
gallant  Irish  Brigade  of  that  division  no  longer  allowed 
them  to  be  silent;  they  gave  a  ringing  cheer,  and  the 
whole  division,  spontaneously  taking  the  "  double  quick," 
rushed  at  the  formidable  works  under  a  scorching  fire 
from  the  enemy's  musketry  and  artillery,  which  opened 
along  his  whole  line.  Nothing  now  could  check  our  col- 
umn. Tearing  away  the  abatis  with  their  hands,  the 
men  sprang  over  the  breastworks,  bayoneting  or  beat- 
ing to  the  earth  with  clubbed  muskets  the  desperate 
resisting  enemy.  Birney  entered  the  salient  about  the 
same  time  with  Barlow,  and  in  a  few  moments  we  had 
possession  of  nearly  a  mile  of  line,  upward  of  4,000 
prisoners  of  Johnson's  division  of  Swell's  corps,  twenty 
pieces  of  artillery,  with  horses,  caissons,  and  material 
complete,  several  thousand  stand  of  small  arms,  and  more 
than  thirty  battle  flags.  Among  our  prisoners  were 
Major-General  Edward  Johnson  and  Brigadier-General 
George  Stuart.* 

The  celebrated  "Stonewall"  brigade  was  taken  al- 
most entire.  The  enemy  retreated  in  great  disorder  and 
confusion.  The  interior  of  the  intrenchments  was  filled 

*  The  story  of  the  meeting  of  General  Hancock  and  General  George 
Stuart  has  been  told  in  various  ways.  What  actually  happened  was,  that 
General  Hancock  supposed  from  his  action  that  General  Stuart  was  about 
to  offer  his  hand,  and  accordingly  extended  his,  designing  at  the  same  time 
to  comfort  him  somewhat  in  his  painful  situation  by  giving  him  news  of 
his  wife,  whom  General  Hancock  had  met  a  few  days  before  in  Wash 
ington.  He  had  known  her  from  childhood,  and  had  attended  their  wed- 
ding. But  General  Stuart  refused  to  take  his  outstretched  hand,  where- 
upon General  Hancock  said :  "  General,  if  you  did  not  design  to  take  my 
hand,  you  should  not  have  acted  as  though  you  did.  Such  an  affront 
should  not  be  put  upon  me  before  my  officers  and  soldiers.  Had  I  not  mis- 
interpreted your  action,  I  would  not  have  offered  you  my  hand." 


THE  ENEMY  REENFORCED.  175 

with  dead,  most  of  whom  were  killed  by  our  men  with 
the  bayonet  when  they  rushed  into  the  works ;  their  bodies, 
at  many  points  in  the  salient,  were  piled  one  upon  an- 
other. 

Our  troops  could  not  be  held  in  hand  after  the  cap- 
ture of  the  intrenchments,  but  pursued  the  enemy 
through  the  wood  in  the  direction  of  Spottsylvania,  until 
they  encountered  a  new  line  of  works  and  heavy  ree'n- 
forcements  of  infantry,  which  were  now  coming  with  all 
speed  to  aid  Johnson,  the  rebel  commander,  that  officer 
having  applied  for  them  during  the  night  before,  under 
the  belief  that  he  would  be  assailed  on  the  morning  of 
the  12th,  having  heard  the  march  of  the  column  as  it 
came  on  the  ground.* 

They  were  too  late  to  save  him,  however ;  but  they 
compelled  our  troops  to  retire  to  the  captured  line  of 
works  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  salient,  which,  in  the 
mean  time,  General  Hancock  had  occupied  by  his  reserves. 
This  was  effected  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for  the  enemy 
were  prompt  to  attempt  to  retrieve  their  misfortunes,  and 
pushed  heavy  reinforcements  into  the  gap.  General 
Hancock,  however,  firmly  held  the  captured  line.  About 
6  A.  M.  the  head  of  Wright's  Sixth  Corps  came  on  the 
field,  and  took  position  to  the  right  of  the  salient.  Gen- 
eral Hancock  had  previously  sent  for  troops  to  put  in  on 
his  right  to  check  the  enemy,  who  were  pressing  forward 
there,  and  seemed  likely  to  pass  to  his  rear,  between  him 
and  the  Fifth  Corps.  Mott  now  joined  the  Sixth  Corps 

*  It  is  well  to  say  here  that  General  Johnson  was  not  "  surprised  "  by 
us  on  the  morning  of  the  12th.  He  has  since  stated  to  General  Hancock  that 
he  was  looking  for  our  attack,  and  had  called  his  men  up  earlier  than  usual 
to  be  ready  for  us.  They  had  been  dismissed  from  the  ranks,  and  were 
cooking  breakfast  when  our  advance  was  made. 


176  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

at  the  salient,  on  "Wright's  left ;  Birney  joined  Mott ;  and 
then  came  Gibbon  and  Barlow  in  succession. 

Simultaneously  with  the  arrival  of  the  Sixth  Corps 
the  enemy  renewed  his  vehement  efforts  to  recapture  his 
line,  pressing  his  line  of  battle  up  to  the  very  breastworks, 
and  planting  his  colors  on  the  side  opposite  ours,  only 
separated  by  the  parapet,  the  two  lines  firing  into  each 
other's  faces  for  hours.  So  fierce  was  this  cross-fire  that 
the  forest  was  mown  down  like  grass,  and  trees  fourteen 
inches  in  diameter  were  hewn  to  the  ground  by  Minie 
balls.  The  enemy  never  exhibited  greater  bravery  or 
resolution.  At .  8  p.  M.  they  pressed  Wright  so  fiercely 
that  he  called  urgently  on  General  Hancock  for  aid,  and 
Brooke's  brigade  of  Barlow's  division  was  sent  to  him, 
although  it  had  taken  a  foremost  part  in  the  assault  of 
the  morning,  had  suffered  most  seriously  during  the  sev- 
eral hours  it  had  already  been  engaged,  and  had  been 
withdrawn  from  the  line  of  battle  temporarily  to  replen- 
ish its  ammunition.  It  was,  however,  the  only  brigade 
available  at  that  moment. 

It  relieved  a  portion  of  Wheaton's  command  on 
Wright's  front  line,  where  it  was  called  upon  to  stand  the 
brunt  of  the  fight,  until  its  ammunition  was  again  ex- 
hausted. 

After  some  hours  it  was  returned  to  General  Han- 
cock, but  fearfully  reduced  in  numbers. 

One  section  of  Brown's  battery  was  placed  in  the  line 
on  the  left  of  the  salient,  and  was  able  to  hold  its  posi- 
tion there,  where  it  did  good  service ;  but  a  section  of 
Gillis's  battery,  Fifth  United  States  Artillery,  which  was 
pushed  up  to  the  line  at  the  salient  (where  it  fired  can- 
ister into  the  enemy's  ranks),  was  speedily  disabled,  and 
lost  so  heavily  in  horses  and  men  that  it  was  soon  with- 


THE  ENEMY'S  DESPERATE  EFFORTS.  177 

drawn.  Artillery  was  also  placed  on  the  knoll  to  the 
right  and  front  of  the  Lendrum  house,  about  three  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  salient,  where  they  fired  constantly 
over  our  troops  into  the  enemy's  lines.  Between  this 
point  and  the  works  was  another  knoll,  which  soon  came 
to  be  known  as  "  dangerous  ground " — the  enemy's  bul- 
lets which  cleared  the  parapet  sweeping  it  clean.  It  was 
then  that  Major  Bingham,  while  riding  with  General  Han- 
cock, took  a  fancy  to  dismount  and  tighten  his  saddle- 
girth,  but  was  unable  to  finish  the  operation  by  reason  of 
a  Minie  ball  passing  through  his  leg.  Near  the  same 
spot,  earlier  in  the  morning,  while  Major  Mitchell  was 
pointing  out  to  General  Wright  the  position  for  the 
troops  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  the  latter  was  struck  by  a 
piece  of  shell  and  hurled  several  feet,  fortunately  with 
no  worse  injury  than  a  severe  contusion. 

Early  in  the  morning  (about  the  time  that  General 
Hancock's  troops  carried  the  works  at  the  salient)  Burn- 
side's  corps  (the  Ninth),  which  was  in  position  some  dis- 
tance to  Hancock's  left,  made  a  slight  demonstration ;  but 
as  it  made  no  impression  on  the  enemy,  and  gave  no  re- 
lief or  assistance  to  Hancock,  we  make  no  further  men- 
tion of  it. 

During  the  afternoon  Cutler's  and  Griffin's  divisions 
of  the  Fifth  Corps  came  on  the  field. 

The  enemy  continued  his  desperate  efforts  to  regain 
his  lost  works,  and  the  battle  raged  incessantly  along  the 
whole  line,  from  the  right  of  the  Sixth  Corps  to  Barlow's 
left,  throughout  the  day  and  until  midnight  of  the  12th, 
when  his  firing  ceased,  and  his  troops  were  withdrawn 
from  Hancock's  front.* 

*  General  Hancock  placed  Brigadier-General  Thomas  W.  Egan  in  com- 
mand at  the  salient  during  the  night,  with  instructions  to  hold  it  against  all 


178  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

A  cold,  drenching  rain  fell  during  the  battle,  in  which 
the  troops  were  under  a  deadly  musketry  fire  for  nearly 
twenty  hours.  When  the  firing  ceased,  about  midnight, 
the  exhausted  men  lay  down  in  the  mud  in  the  in- 
trenchments,  and  slept  among  thousands  of  the  dead  and 
wounded. 

Our  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  were,  of  course, 
heavy  in  such  a  day's  work  as  this,  but  we  had  given  the 
enemy  a  stunning  blow,  and  had  defeated  him  most  sig- 
nally. His  losses  during  the  day,  in  killed  and  wounded 
and  prisoners,  could  not  have  been  less  than  ten  thousand 
men,  and  were  probably  much  greater. 

General  Hancock  had  fixed  his  headquarters  for  the 
day  at  the  Lendrum  house,  a  point  much  exposed  to  the 
enemy's  fire.  During  the  morning,  while  Generals 
Wright,  Hancock,  and  Gibbon  were  sitting  in  the  yard 
near  the  house,  their  heads  inclined  toward  each  other, 
in  earnest  conversation,  a  Minie  ball  passed  between  the 
three  heads,  without  hitting  either,  and  buried  itself 
with  a  spiteful  "  spud  "  in  the  side  of  the  house. 

Here  may  properly  be  related  an  incident  which  natu- 
rally possessed  great  interest  to  the  Confederates,  and 
which  is  one  among  the  many  vivid  occurrences  which 
made  the  history  of  this  fierce  encounter.  The  story- 
was  told  at  a  reunion  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 
which  took  place  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  the  winter  of 
1877,  and  is  given  as  related  by  Colonel  James  H.  Skin- 
ner, of  the  Confederate  Army,  an  eye-witness : 

"  Our  infantry  not  only  encountered  with  cheerful- 
ness all  the  trials  and  hardships  of  the  camp  and  of  the 
march,  but  in  the  fierce  encounters  of  battle  displayed  a 

attempts  from  the  enemy.    He  could  not  have  selected  one  from  his  whole 
command  who  could  have  held  it  more  stoutly  and  gallantly. 


AN  INCIDENT.  179 

proud  self-reliance  to  which  the  annals  of  other  wars  and 
other  armies  can  scarce  furnish  a  parallel.  Let" one  nota- 
ble instance,  out  of  many,  suffice  for  illustration.  It  was 
on  the  memorable  morning  of  the  12th  of  May,  1864,  in 
the  battle  of  Spottsylvania  Court-house.  In  the  early 
dawn  our  army  had  suffered  a  fearful  disaster.  An  as- 
sault by  Hancock's  corps  had  broken  our  lines  and  swal- 
lowed up  almost  a  division,  including  the  larger  part  of 
the  famous  Stonewall  brigade.  Early 's  division  was 
forthwith  summoned  to  retrieve,  if  possible,  our  loss,  and 
to  reestablish  our  lines,  through  the  gap  in  which  the  en- 
emy were  pouring.  It  was  an  appalling  crisis  in  our  af- 
fairs, which  called  for  the  presence  and  direction  of  our 
noble  Commander-in-Chief .  He  placed  himself  in  front 
of  the  division,  as  though  intending  to  lead  the  charge  in 
person.  Traces  of  anxiety  could  be  read,  or  at  least  fan- 
cied, on  even  his  uniformly  calm  and  imperturbable  brow. 
Our  own  tried  and  trusted  chief  of  division  was  that  day 
commanding  a  corps,  but  the  mantle  of  an  Early  could 
not  have  fallen  on  worthier  shoulders  than  those  of  the 
heroic  John  B.  Gordon.  The  line,  divining  General 
Lee's  purpose,  insisted  that  he  should  abandon  it ;  each 
heart  felt  that  in  his  life  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy 
were,  under  God,  bound  up.  This  brave  division,  though 
it  would  have  gloried  to  distinguish  itself  under  the  im- 
mediate leadership  of  its  Commander-in-Chief,  was  un- 
willing to  do  so  at  the  necessary  hazard  of  his  invaluable 
life.  They  knew  that,  led  by  Gordon — as  they  frequent- 
ly had  done  under  Early — they  could  and  would  accom- 
plish all  that  lay  in  the  power  of  men,  and,  therefore, 
from  the  ranks  the  cry  arose, '  General  Lee  to  the  rear ! ' 
This  is  the  incident  to  which  General  Lee  himself  reluc- 
tantly referred,  and  locates  in  the  battles  around  Spottsyl- 


180  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

vania  Court-house.  He  yielded  to  the  demand  of  his 
men,  who  had,  no  doubt,  by  this  time,  inspired  him  with 
the  fullest  confidence,  and  by  the  hand  of  General  Gor- 
don his  horse  was  led  through  an  opening  made  in  Cap- 
tain James  Bumgardner's  company,  the  color  company 
of  the  Fifty-second  Virginia  infantry,  the  regiment  which 
your  speaker  had  the  honor  to  command.  General  Gor- 
don immediately  thereafter  gave  to  the  division  the  order 
to  charge,  and  with  a  wild  yell  it  sprang  forward." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Spottsylvania  Court-house — Second  Line  of  Intrenchments — Gallantry  of 
Colonel  Carroll— The  Fighting  renewed  on  the  18th — Ewell  retreat- 
ing— General  Hancock's  Report — Losses  of  the  Second  Corps  during 
the  Campaign — General  Hancock  commends  his  Subordinate  Officers — 
Summary. 

AT  daylight  on  the  13th  it  was  found  that  the  enemy 
had  withdrawn  to  his  second  line  of  intrenchments,  about 
half  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  those  we  had  captured.  As 
soon  as  this  was  reported  to  General  Meade,  he  directed 
General  Hancock  to  throw  forward  a  reconnoitring  force, 
to  ascertain  the  strength  and  exact  position  of  the  enemy, 
if  practicable.  General  Hancock  instructed  General  Gib- 
bon to  make  the  advance  from  his  point.  He  selected 
Owen's  brigade  for  the  service.  It  is  sometimes  danger- 
ous to  have  a  high  reputation  for  skill  and  bravery,  and 
Colonel  Carroll  found  it  so  on  this  occasion ;  for,  General 
Owen  not  being  in  command  at  the  time,  General  Gib- 
bon resolved  to  send  Carroll  out  on  the  reconnoissance  in 
command  of  his  brigade. 

It  so  happened  that,  when  Gibbon  met  Carroll  and  told 
him  what  he  proposed  to  do,  the  latter  was  on  his  way 
to  the  hospital.  The  wound  he  had  received  in  the  "Wil- 
derness had  become  very  painful  and  offensive  for  lack 
of  proper  care,  and  the  exhausting  labor  of  the  past  week 
had  so  reduced  him  that  the  surgeon  insisted  on  his 


182  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

spending  a  few  days  in  the  field  hospital.  Too  proud 
and  high-spirited  to  tell  his  division  commander  on  what 
errand  he  was  sent,  Carroll  turned  back  and  moved  out 
with  Owen's  brigade,  his  own  in  support.  In  the  sharp 
encounter  with  the  enemy  which  followed,  a  break  oc- 
curred in  the  line,  and  Carroll  rushed  to  the  spot  to  re- 
store order,  and  had  his  unhurt  arm  terribly  shattered  at 
the  elbow  by  a  Minie  ball.  The  lines  were  very  close, 
and  Carroll  clearly  saw  the  man  who  shot  him,  and  had 
a  moment  to  wonder  where  he  should  be  hit.  This  was 
the  last  occasion  when  Colonel  Carroll  met  the  enemy. 
His  severe  wounds  entirely  disabled  him  for  many 
months,  though  he  recovered  sufficiently  to  command  a 
division  in  the  Veteran  Corps,  which  General  Hancock 
was  organizing  when  the  war  closed.  ~No  army  ever  con- 
tained a  more  intrepid  soldier. 

May  13th  and  14th  passed  without  serious  fighting. 

May  15th,  in  accordance  with  orders  from  General 
Meade,  Barlow's  and  Gibbon's  divisions  were  withdrawn 
from  the  line  of  works  captured  on  the  12th,  and  marched 
to  a  position  near  the  Fredericksburg  and  Spottsylvania 
road.  Birney  remained  in  the  works  to  cover  the  right 
of  Burnside's  corps. 

On  the  17th  Brigadier  General  K.  O.  Tyler's  division 
of  heavy  artillery  and  the  "  Corcoran  Legion "  (infan- 
try) joined  the  Second  Corps,  a  reinforcement  of  about 
eight  thousand  men.* 

The  same  day — 17th — General  Hancock  received  or- 
ders from  army  headquarters  to  move  back  to  the  works 

*  The  material  of  these  regiments  was  excellent,  and  they  were  well-dis- 
ciplined and  completely  equipped ;  but  they  were  not  inured  to  war  like  the 
veterans  they  had  come  to  replace.  The  "  Corcoran  Legion  "  was  assigned 
to  Gibbon's  division. 


THE  FIGHTING  RENEWED.  183 

he  had  captured  on  the  12th,  and  to  assault  the  enemy  at 
daylight  on  the  18th  in  the  intrenched  line  occupied  in 
front  of  that  position.  The  Sixth  Corps  was  to  form  on 
his  right,  and  attack  at  the  same  hour. 

At  dark  on  the  17th  General  Hancock's  troops  were 
in  motion,  and  were  in  the  position  designated  for  the 
attack  before  daylight  the  next  morning.  At  11  A.  M. 
Gibbon  and  Barlow  moved  to  the  attack,  their  troops 
formed  in  lines  of  brigades.  Our  artillery,  which  was 
posted  on  the  works  captured  on  the  12th,  fired  over  the 
heads  of  the  troops.  Birney's  and  Tyler's  divisions  were 
held  in  reserve. 

The  enemy  was  posted  in  a  strongly  intrenched  line, 
screened  by  a  forest,  about  one  half  mile  in  front  of  and 
parallel  to  the  works  taken  on  the  12th.  His  position 
was  strengthened  by  heavy  slashings  and  abatis.  As 
our  troops  neared  this  line,  they  were  received  by  a  hot 
fire  of  musketry  and  artillery,  which  made  great  slaughter 
in  our  ranks.  They  pushed  on,  however,  until  they 
reached  the  edge  of  the  abatis,  which,  with  the  galling 
fire,  stopped  their  progress.  They  made  many  gallant 
attempts  to  penetrate  the  enemy's  position,  but  without 
success. 

Finding  that  he  was  losing  quite  seriously,  and  that 
the  enemy's  works  were  too  strong  to  be  carried  by  his 
force,  General  Hancock  informed  General  Meade  of  the 
condition  of  affairs,  and  was  at  once  instructed  by  him  to 
withdraw  from  the  assault.  This  was  accomplished,  the 
enemy  making  no  attempt  to  leave  his  works  and  attack 
us,  and  our  troops  again  occupied  the  lines  in  front  of  the 
Lendrum  house.  The  "  Corcoran  Legion,"  which,  as  be- 
fore stated,  joined  the  Second  Corps  on  the  17th,  was 
specially  marked  for  good  conduct.  It  lost  seventy  in 


184:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

killed  and  wounded.  General  "Wright  attacked  at  the 
same  time,  but  without  success.* 

During  the  night  of  the  18th,  Barlow's,  Birney's,  and 
Gibbon's  divisions  marched  to  a  point  near  Anderson's 
mill,  on  the  Nje  River,  Tyler's  division  remaining  in 
position  on  the  Fredericksburg  and  Spottsylvania  road, 
near  the  Harris  house. 

May  19th,  General  Hancock  received  instructions 
from  General  Meade,  directing  him  to  prepare  to  move 
toward  Bowling  Green,  on  the  Richmond  and  Potomac 
Railroad. 

At  5  P.  M.,  while  preparations  for  this  march  were 
in  progress,  heavy  musketry  firing  was  heard  in  the  di- 
rection of  Tyler's  division.  It  was  soon  found  that 
Ewell's  corps  of  the  enemy  had  passed  the  !N"ye  in  front 
of  Tyler,  and  was  making  a  determined  attack  upon 
him.  Birney  was  at  once  hurried  to  his  support,  and 
Gibbon  and  Barlow  were  put  in  readiness  to  move  up 
to  sustain  him,  if  required.  General  Hancock  at  once 
rode  to  the  fight,  and  found  Tyler  hotly  engaged  in  front 
of  the  Fredericksburg  and  Spottsylvania  road.  As 
soon  as  Birney's  troops  came  on  the  ground,  two  brigades 
were  thrown  into  action  on  Tyler's  right.  Some  troops 
of  the  Fifth  Corps,  notably  Cutler's  brigade,  had  also  been 
sent  to  reenforce  Tyler,  on  his  left,  and  these  were  put 
in.  The  contest  was  a  severe  one,  and  continued  until 

*  In  ordering  this  assault,  it  was  perhaps  supposed  that  the  Second 
Corps  would  be  urged  to  greater  effort  to  repeat  its  renowned  achievements 
of  the  12th  on  the  same  ground ;  but  such  was  not  the  case.  Large  numbers 
of  the  dead  of  that  day  were  still  unburied,  and,  having  been  exposed  to  a 
burning  sun  for  nearly  a  week,  presented  a  hideous  and  sickening  sight, 
and  such  a  stench  arose  from  the  field  as  to  make  many  of  the  officers  and 
men  deathly  sick.  In  fact,  all  the  circumstances  were  such  as  to  dishearten, 
instead  of  encouraging,  the  men. 


GENERAL  HANCOCK'S  REPORT. 


185 


about  9  P.  M.,  when  the  enemy's  lines  were  driven  back 
and  broken  at  all  points,  and  Ewell  retreated  rapidly  across 
the  Nye.  His  loss  in  this  engagement  was  heavy  in 
killed  and  wounded.  He  left  about  four  hundred  pris- 
oners in  our  hands.  This  was  the  first  action  in  which 
Tyler's  troops  had  taken  part.  They  conducted  them- 
selves very  handsomely.* 

In  concluding  his  official  report  of  these  operations, 
General  Hancock  writes  as  follows : 

"  This  action  terminated  the  operations  of  my  com- 
mand ;  and  during  the  second  epoch  of  the  campaign  the 
losses  in  the  Second  Corps,  in  the  several  severe  battles 
which  this  epoch  embraces,  were  as  follows : 


KILLED. 

WOUNDED. 

MISSING. 

TOTAL. 

t 

M 

X 

to 

jr 

5 

COMMAND. 

l  i 

3?; 

11 

li 

1  i 

li 

lj 

i 

I1 

HS 

l§ 

$* 

is 

1* 

IS" 

£* 

* 

Corps  Hdqrs  .  . 

2 

2 

2 

Art'y  Brigade. 

14 

3 

30 

i 

2 

4 

46 

50 

1st  Division.  . 

30 

376 

88 

1715 

11 

369 

129 

2460 

2689 

2d  Division  .  .  . 

16 

142 

38 

731 

2 

100 

56 

973 

1029 

3d  Division.  .  . 

26 

230 

76 

1275 

5 

176 

107 

1680 

1787 

Total  

72 

762 

207 

3761 

19 

646 

298 

5169 

6457 

"  From  the  commencement  of  the  campaign  the 
troops  under  my  command  marched  and  fought  almost 
constantly.  They  had  not  had  a  single  day's  rest  since 

*  Tyler's  men  had  taken  off  their  knapsacks  as  they  went  into  action, 
and  the  fine  clothes  and  many  comforts,  fresh  from  Washington,  exposed, 
attracted  the  attention  of  Birney's  old  veterans  as  they  passed,  and,  not- 
withstanding the  rapidity  with  which  they  were  moving,  it  was  observed 
that  a  vast  number  of  coats,  shoes,  etc.,  changed  owners,  and  that  Tyler's 
men  were  not  so  fatigued  on  the  long  marches  afterward  by  the  weight  of 
their  knapsacks. 


186  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  2d  of  May.  Their  conduct  was  such  as  to  merit  the 
highest  praise.  They  encountered  the  dangers,  priva- 
tions, and  fatigues  incident  to  such  arduous  and  perilous 
services  with  unshaken  fortitude  and  intrepid  valor. 

"  Major-General  Birney,  commanding  Third  Division, 
and  Brigadier-General  (now  Brevet  Major-General)  Bar- 
low, commanding  First  Division,  are  entitled  to  high 
commendation  for  the  valor,  ability,  and  promptness  dis- 
played by  them  during  the  operations  included  in  this 
epoch  of  the  campaign.  The  magnificent  charge  made 
by  their  divisions,  side  by  side,  at  Spottsylvania,  on  the 
12th  of  May,  stands  unsurpassed  for  its  daring  courage 
and  brilliant  success. 

"  Brigadier-General  (now  Major-General)  Gibbon,  then 
commanding  Second  Division,  and  Brigadier- General  (now 
Brevet  Major-General)  Mott,  commanding  the  Fourth 
Division,  until  it  was  consolidated  with  Birney's  division, 
merit  high  praise  for  the  manner  in  which  they  handled 
the  troops  commanded  by  them. 

"  Brigadier-General  (now  Brevet  Major-General)  Webb, 
commanding  First  Brigade,  Second  Division,  was  se- 
verely wounded  while  gallantly  leading  his  troops  at 
Spottsylvania,  May  12th. 

"Colonel  (now  Brevet  Major-General)  Miles,  per- 
formed marked  and  distinguished  services,  especially  at 
Catharpen  road,  on  the  8th,  and  at  the  battle  of  the  Po, 
on  the  10th,  and  at  Spottsylvania,  on  the  12th  and  18th 
of  May. 

"Colonel  Coons,  Fourteenth  Indiana  Volunteers, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  D.  L.  Stryker,  Second  Delaware  Vol- 
unteers, and  Lieutenant  -  Colonel  Merriam,  Sixteenth 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  three  brave  and  able  officers, 
were  killed  while  leading  their  men  into  action,  during 


HANCOCK  COMMENDS  HIS  SUBORDINATE  OFFICERS.    1ST 

the  storming  of  the  enemy's  works  at  Spottsylvania,  on  the 
morning  of  the  12th  of  May.  Many  other  gallant  officers 
and  soldiers  of  my  command  exhibited  rare  and  conspicuous 
valor  and  devotion  during  the  battles  described  in  this 
report  whose  names  are  unmentioned  here,  owing  to  the 
almost  total  absence  of  detailed  reports  from  my  subordi- 
nate commanders.  Lieutenant-Colonel  (now  Brigadier- 
General)  C.  H.  Morgan,  my  Chief  of  Staff,  deserves  es- 
pecial mention  for  distinguished  services,  which  were  par- 
ticularly meritorious  and  valuable  at  Spottsylvania,  from 
the  assistance  he  gave  me  in  selecting  the  ground  for  the 
formation  of  the  troops  before  the  assault. 

"  In  the  preliminary  examination  of  the  ground,  and 
in  the  disposition  of  the  troops  for  the  assault,  Major  (now 
Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General)  W.  G. 
Mitchell,  A.  D.  C.,  assisted  General  Morgan. 

"Surgeon  (now  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel)  A.  IN". 
Dougherty,  Medical  Director,  Second  Army  Corps,  be- 
haved with  great  gallantry.  He  was  wounded  at  Spott- 
sylvania on  the  10th  of  May. 

"Major  H.  H.  Bingham,  Judge  Advocate,  Second 
Army  Corps,  conducted  himself  with  his  usual  conspic- 
uous gallantry.  He  received  a  severe  wound  while  cour- 
ageously performing  his  duty  at  Spottsylvania,  on  the 
12th  of  May." 

There  is  an  old  adage  to  the  effect  that  it  is  the  "  will- 
ing horse  that  is  worked  to  death."  None  of  the  troops 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  got  much  rest  during  these 
bloody  days,  but  the  record  seems  to  show  that  General 
Hancock  was  marching  or  assaulting  without  as  much  in- 
termission as  fell  to  the  lot  of  some  others.  On  the  9th 
of  May  the  Second  Corps  had  moved  from  Todd's  tav- 


188  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

ern,  fording  the  Po,  and  having  marched  in  the  dark 
through  the  woods  as  far  as  the  Block  House  bridge,  the 
men  bivouacked,  supperless,  and  in  their  wet  clothes.  On 
the  10th,  Barlow's  division  fought  the  desperate  combat 
on  the  Po.  Birney  and  Gibbon  twice  assaulted  on  War- 
ren's right,  and  Mott  attacked  near  the  "  brown  house." 
On  the  night  of  the  llth  the  corps  moved  to  the  "  brown 
house,"  and  assaulted  the  enemy's  intrenched  lines  at  4.30 
A.  M.  on  the  12th,  without  previous  rest  or  food,  and  re- 
mained fiercely  engaged  with  the  enemy  for  twenty 
hours.  On  the  13th,  a  heavy  reconnoissance  was  made, 
and  the  14th  was  passed  in  sharp  skirmishing.  On 
the  morning  of  the  15th  the  corps  moved  again;  was 
in  motion  all  night  of  the  17th,  preparatory  to  the  attack 
of  the  18th ;  was  again  marching  all  night  of  the  18th, 
withdrawing  from  the  lines  and  massing  at  the  Ander- 
son house ;  and  now,  on  the  third  consecutive  night,  it 
was  proposed  to  send  it  on  a  flank  march  of  over  twenty 
miles,  to  attack  "  vigorously  "  in  the  morning. 

Quotations  from  General  Hancock's  reports,  giving 
commendatory  notice  of  conspicuous  gallantry  or  other 
meritorious  action  in  his  subordinate  officers,  are  given  a 
prominent  place  in  this  work,  that  the  reader  may  appre- 
ciate a  noteworthy  feature  of  his  character.  A  just  recog- 
nition of  the  value  of  those  who  serve  never  fails  to  add 
dignity  to  the  character  of  those  who  command. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  March  to  Bowling  Green — Crossing  the  Mattapony  at  the  North  Anna — 
Taking  Position — Throwing  up  Breastworks — Gallant  Charge  by  Egan's 
and  Pierce's  Brigades,  Birney's  Division — Crossing  the  North  Anna — 
Strong  Position  of  the  Enemy — March  from  the  North  Anna  to  the 
Pamunky — Cavalry  Engagement — Harassing  the  Enemy — Tolopotomy 
Creek— Ordered  to  Cold  Harbor. 

THE  order  for  the  march  to  Bowling  Green  and  Mil- 
ford  Station  was  as  follows : 

"  HEADQUARTEBS,  ARMY  OP  THE  POTOMAC, 
May  19,  ll£  P-  M.,  1864. 

"  MAJOR-GENERAL  HANCOCK,  Commanding  Second  Corps : 
"The  Major-General  commanding  directs  that  you 
move  with  your  corps  to-morrow  at  2  A.  M.  to  Bowling 
Green  and  Milford  Station,  via  Guinea's  Station,  and 
take  position  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mattapony,  if  prac- 
ticable. Should  you  encounter  the  enemy,  you  will  at- 
tack him  vigorously,  and  report  immediately  to  these 
headquarters,  which  you  will  keep  advised  of  your  prog- 
ress from  time  to  time. 

"  Brigadier-General  Torbert,  with  a  cavalry  force  and 
a  battery  of  horse  artillery,  is  ordered  to  report  to  you 
for  duty.  An  engineer  officer  and  guide  will  be  sent  to 
you.  Canvas  pontoons  will  likewise  be  put  at  your  dis- 
posal. 

(Signed)  "  A.  A.  HUMPHREYS, 

«  Major- General,  Chief  of  Staff." 


190  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

At  once,  upon  receipt  of  this  order,  General  Hancock 
directed  a  reconnoissance  of  the  route  of  march  by  one 
of  his  staff  with  the  headquarters  escort,  which  was  made 
as  far  as  Guinea's  Station,  and,  the  location  of  the  ene- 
my's signal  stations  being  obtained,  the  hour  of  march 
was  changed,  at  General  Hancock's  suggestion,  to  11 
p.  M.,  so  as  to  permit  those  stations  to  be  passed  as 
far  as  possible  before  daylight.  The  corps  moved  ac- 
cordingly, and  at  break  of  day  on  the  21st  the  head  of 
the  column  reached  Guinea's  Station,  from  which  place 
Torbert  drove  the  enemy's  cavalry  videttes.  The  troops 
reached  Bowling  Green  at  10  A.  M.  At  Milford  Sta- 
tion, just  beyond  Bowling  Green,  our  cavalry  found  the 
enemy  in  rifle-pits,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Matta- 
pony,  prepared  to  dispute  the  crossing.  Before  the  in- 
fantry could  get  up,  Torbert  had  dislodged  this  force  (a 
part  of  Kemper's  old  brigade  of  infantry),  capturing 
about  sixty  prisoners,  and  saving  the  bridge  from  serious 
injury.  Barlow's  division  crossed  as  soon  as  it  came  up, 
the  other  divisions  following,  and  a  strong  position  was 
taken  up  on  the  high  land  about  one  mile  from  the  river. 

The  cavalry  was  pushed  to  the  front  to  give  timely 
notice  of  any  movement  of  the  enemy  in  our  direction, 
in  which  case  General  Hancock  had  made  all  necessary 
preparations  to  attack.  Considering  the  enemy  might 
concentrate  against  this  flanking  column  before  "Warren, 
who  was  moving  up  the  telegraph  road,  should  come 
within  supporting  distance,  a  strong  line  of  breastworks 
was  thrown  up  along  our  front. 

The  position  was  so  powerful  naturally,  and  so  much 
strengthened  by  breastworks  and  slashing  timber  in  front, 
that  we  were  willing  to  undertake  its  defense  against  any 
force  of  the  enemy.  The  troops  were  greatly  exhausted 


ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  NORTH  ANNA.  191 

at  the  conclusion  of  this  day's  work,  and  were  harassed 
again  at  night  by  a  groundless  alarm  among  some  of  the 
new  regiments  of  the  corps.  Fortunately,  the  next  day 
— the  22d — was  a  day  of  rest.* 

At  5  A.  M.,  on  the  23d,  the  corps  moved  toward  the 
North  Anna — Birney's  division  in  advance — and  about 
midday  reached  the  banks  of  that  river,  finding  the  cav- 
alry of  our  advance  skirmishing  briskly  with  the  enemy. 
Birney  formed  a  line  across  the  telegraph  road,  Gibbon 
across  the  railroad,  Tyler  being  posted  in  reserve.  The 
long  lines  of  the  enemy's  jaded  troops  could  be  seen  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  forming  simultaneously 
with  ours,  and  a  sharp  artillery  fire  was  opened  on  them, 
compelling  them  to  take  cover  in  the  woods  in  the  rear, 
and  in  the  intrenchments  which  they  had  already  pre- 


*  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  course  now  being  pursued  by  General  Han- 
cock, in  accordance  with  his  orders  from  headquarters,  was  a  part  of  the 
flank  movement  planned  by  General  Grant  after  Spottsylvania,  and  which 
was  to  be  a  repetition  of  that  by  which  he  had  withdrawn — advancing — 
from  the  Wilderness.  Meanwhile,  Lee's  army  was  moving  in  a  parallel  line 
with  the  Union  force,  having  the  inside  track,  and  keeping  in  the  advance. 
It  was,  in  fact,  a  race  between  these  two  vast  columns,  under  the  inspiration 
and  guidance  of  skilled  and  experienced  leaders,  and  forms  in  its  history 
a  most  interesting  and  exciting  event. 

The  march  of  the  armies  extended  through  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  highly  cultivated  regions  of  the  "  Old  Dominion,"  and  one  hitherto  un- 
scathed by  the  fiery  breath  of  war.  The  land  was  dotted  with  those  fine 
old  Virginia  homesteads,  whose  stately  elms  shadowed  the  hospitable  man- 
sions, and  all  of  whose  surroundings  reminded  the  observer  of  the  ancient 
Colonial  times,  their  broad  acres  recalling  the  baronial  domains  of  old  Eng- 
land. 

The  object  of  the  rival  generals  was  to  reach  and  cross  the  next  impor- 
tant stream  (the  North  Anna)  each  before  his  adversary.  The  marches  of 
the  21st  and  23d  of  May  had  brought  our  army  near  to  the  desired  goal — 
the  north  bank  of  the  North  Anna — only  to  find  the  enemy  strongly  posted 
on  its  south  bank,  and  ready  to  dispute  its  passage. 


192  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

pared  to  meet  such  a  contingency  as  this.  They  held 
also  a  small  earthwork  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river, 
forming  a  bridge  head  to  protect  the  county  bridge.  The 
enemy  was  quickly  pressed  back,  until  Gibbon's  skirmish- 
ers reached  the  river  on  the  left,  and  Birney's  reached  the 
strip  of  land  between  Long  Creek  and  the  river,  on  which 
the  bridge  head  was  placed.  Birney  succeeded  in  getting 
a  brigade  over  the  creek,  and  making  such  a  reconnois- 
sance  of  the  position  as  to  satisfy  himself  that  it  could  be 
taken  ;  and  having  reported  this  to  General  Hancock,  he 
was  directed  to  make  the  attempt.  This  was  a  little  be- 
fore four  o'clock ;  it  was  half  past  six,  however,  before 
the  arrangements  for  the  assault  were  completed. 

At  that  hour  Egan's  and  Pierce's  brigades  of  Birney's 
division,  led  by  their  gallant  commanders,  charged  from 
different  points  over  an  open  field,  several  hundred  yards 
in  width,  carrying  the  works  with  scarcely  a  check,  and 
driving  the  enemy  pell-mell  across  the  river.  ~No  official 
report  of  this  brilliant  affair  was  ever  submitted  by  Gen- 
eral Birney ;  but  this  injustice  was  in  part  remedied  by  the 
fact  that  General  Hancock  was  on  the  ground,  and  recorded 
what  he  saw  in  his  own  official  report,  in  which  he  says  : 
"I  have  seldom  witnessed  such  gallantry  and  spirit  as 
the  brigades  of  Egan  and  Pierce  displayed."  Rare,  but 
well-merited  praise  !  The  artillery  under  Colonel  Tid- 
ball  was  warmly  engaged  during  this  assault.  A  section 
of  Arnold's  Khode  Island  Battery  was  in  action  within 
close  musketry  range,  and  lost  its  gallant  young  com- 
mander, Lieutenant  Hunt,  who  was  mortally  wounded. 
The  enemy  made  numerous  and  determined  efforts  to 
burn  the  bridge  as  they  fell  back  over  the  river,  and  at 
intervals  during  the  ensuing  night,  but  were  frustrated 
by  the  vigilance  of  Birney's  pickets.  They  succeeded, 


CROSSING  THE  NORTH  ANNA.  193 

however,  in  burning  the  railroad  bridge.  Birney's  divis- 
ion crossed  the  river  at  8  A.  M.  the  next  day,  and  occu- 
pied the  abandoned  works  about  the  Fox  house,  after 
driving  off  the  enemy's  pickets.  The  pontoon  bridges 
were  thrown  across  below  the  railroad  bridge,  on  which 
Barlow's  and  Gibbon's  divisions  crossed  and  formed  on 
Birney's  left,  which  placed  the  entire  corps  (save  Tyler's 
division,  left  in  reserve  at  the  captured  bridge  head)  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river. 

The  impression  evidently  prevailed  at  army  head- 
quarters that  the  enemy  would  not  hold  the  line  of  the 
North  Anna,  but  was  falling  back  through  Hanover 
Junction;  and  General  Hancock  was  directed  to  cross 
his  trains  as  soon  as  practicable  and  be  prepared  to  move 
at  once.  This  impression  was  wide  from  the  truth,  how- 
ever, for  the  enemy  at  this  point  held  one  of  the  most 
powerful  and  peculiar  positions  of  the  campaign.  The 
line  was  in  the  shape  of  a  V>  the  flanks  resting  on  a 
natural  obstacle,  and  the  point  of  the  V  on  the  river. 
Hancock  crossed  to  the  left  of  the  point,  and  "Warren  to 
the  right  of  it.  All  efforts  to  shake  Lee's  hold  on  the 
river  and  unite  our  several  wings  were  futile.  Warren 
and  Hancock  could  reenf orce  each  other  only  by  recrossing 
the  river,  marching  several  miles,  and  crossing  again. 

It  is  possible  that  Lee  was  only  prevented  from  at- 
tacking one  or  the  other  (Hancock  or  Warren)  by  the 
hope  that  the  assault  which  had  characterized  the  previous 
part  of  the  campaign  on  our  part  would  be  renewed 
by  General  Grant  at  this  point,  and  also  by  our  bold 
movement  in  crossing  to  his  side  of  the  river. 

Warren  was  attacked  while  getting  into  position,  but 
was  not  seriously  molested  thereafter.  Smythe's  brigade 
of  Gibbon's  division  had  a  smart  encounter  with  the 


194 


LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 


enemy  on  the  evening  of  the  24th.  The  enemy  pressed 
our  advanced  posts  heavily  for  a  short  time,  but  gained 
no  advantage. 

May  25th  and  26th  passed  without  events  of  impor- 
tance to  the  Second  Corps,  the  troops  being  engaged  in 
destroying  the  railroad  toward  Milford,  on  the  26th. 
During  that  night  he  withdrew  to  the  north  bank  of  the 
North  Anna,  destroying  the  railroad  and  county  bridges. 

About  10  A.  M.  on  the  27th  the  corps  moved  from  the 
North  Anna  over  the  county  and  old  stage  roads,  and  camp- 
ed that  night  about  three  miles  from  the  Pamunky  River. 

The  march  from  Anderson's  mill  (commencing  on 
the  21st  at  daybreak)  to  Bowling  Green  and  Milford,  and 
then  to  North  Anna,  was  made  very  rapidly,  and  required 
great  exertions  from  the  officers  and  men.  Their  conduct 
was  marked  by  their  usual  bravery  and  devotion  to  duty, 
in  the  severe  contests  which  occurred  during  this  epoch. 

The  following  list  shows  (partially)  the  loss  in  the 
Second  Corps  from  21st  to  27th  May,  inclusive : 


COMMAND. 

KILLED. 

WOUNDED. 

MISSING. 

AGGREGATE. 

Commanding 
Officers. 

Ifi 

w  * 

to 

B 

£  SS 

1  s 

Commanding 
Officers. 

|| 

Corps  Hdqrs  ! 
Art'y    Brigade  
1st  Division  

1 

5 
2 

1 
20 
40 
31 

3 
4 
8 

8 
61 
158 
151 

10 
34 
11 

4 
95 
241 
203 

2d  Division 

3d  Division  

Total*  

8 

92 

15 

373 

55 

543 

*  The  casualties  of  the  Fourth  and  Eighth  Ohio  Volunteers,  Fourteenth 
Indiana  Volunteers,  and  First  Delaware  Volunteers  are  not  included  in  the 
above  table. 


CAVALRY  ENGAGEMENT.  195 

May  28th,  the  corps  crossed  the  Pamunky  and  took 
position  between  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps.  The  cav- 
alry, under  General  Sheridan,  were  hotly  engaged  at  this 
time  in  our  immediate  front  at  Hawes's  shop.  On  the 
29th,  at  midday,  Barlow's  division  moved  out  on  the 
Hanover  Court-house  road,  to  make  a  reconnoissance. 
The  enemy's  dead,  killed  in  the  cavalry  engagement  of 
the  day  before,  were  found  in  considerable  numbers 
along  the  road  and  through  the  woods,  but  Barlow  did 
not  encounter  the  enemy  until  he  struck  his  cavalry  skir- 
mishers at  the  forks  of  the  Cold  Harbor  and  Hanover 
Court-house  roads.  The  skirmishers  of  the  First  Divis- 
ion speedily  dispersed  the  cavalry  force,  and  the  division 
pushed  on  till  the  works  of  the  enemy,  well  manned, 
were  developed  on  Swift  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Tolo- 
potomy.  Barlow  reporting  the  enemy  in  such  force  that  it 
would  probably  require  a  general  engagement  to  dislodge 
him,  General  Hancock  at  once  ordered  up  Gibbon  and 
Birney,  whose  divisions  formed  respectively  on  Barlow's 
right  and  left.  On  the  left,  on  Gibbon's  front,  the  ene- 
my's skirmish  line  of  rifle-pits  was  handsomely  carried  by 
Brooke's  brigade  of  Barlow's  division,  assisted  by  Owen's 
brigade,  Gibbon's  division.  Our  line  at  once  advanced 
to  the  captured  position.  During  the  day  the  skirmish- 
ing was  incessant,  with  some  losses,  and  many  acts  of  gal- 
lantry were  performed  in  developing  the  enemy's  line, 
which  was  very  strongly  posted,  the  greater  part  of  his 
front  being  protected  by  a  marsh.  Our  artillery  was 
chiefly  posted  along  the  ridge  on  which  the  Sheldon 
house  stands. 

About  3  r.  M.  the  Sixth  Corps  moved  up  and  took 
position  on  the  right  of  the  Second.  A  short  time  after — 
7  P.  M. — General  Meade  directed  General  Hancock  to  at- 


196  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

tack  tlie  enemy  "as  soon  as  he  could  find  a  suitable 
place,"  in  order  to  relieve  Warren,  then  pressed  by  the 
enemy.  The  saving  clause  in  the  order  could  have  been 
taken  advantage  of  by  a  less  vigorous  soldier  than  Gen- 
eral Hancock,  for  darkness  would  have  set  in  before  any 
examination  could  have  been  made.  But  the  object 
stated  left,  to  a  man  of  Hancock's  mind,  no  alternative, 
and,  without  waiting  to  look  for  "  a  suitable  place,"  know- 
ing that  to  be  of  service  the  attack  must  be  made 
promptly,  he  ordered  Barlow  to  advance  at  once,  and 
with  equal  promptitude  Barlow  sent  Brooke  forward 
with  his  brigade.  This  excellent  and  energetic  soldier 
pushed  on  over  obstacles  that  would  have  deterred  many 
others,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  the  strongly  intrenched 
line  in  his  front,  and  with  it  a  few  prisoners.  As  this 
occurred  some  time  after  dark,  no  immediate  advantage 
could  be  taken  of  it. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st,  Birney  was  directed  to 
cross  Swift  Hun  and  assail  the  enemy's  advanced  line  on 
the  right  of  the  Richmond  road.  This  movement  was  suc- 
cessfully executed,  and  the  intrenchments  earned.  Gib- 
bon and  Barlow  pushed  close  up  to  the  enemy's  lines  in 
their  fronts,  but  found  the  position  too  strong  to  admit 
of  successful  assault.  The  remainder  of  this  day  and  the 
1st  of  June  passed  with  heavy  skirmishing,  but  no  en- 
gagement of  importance  occurred. 

The  losses  on  the  Tolopotomy,  as  the  position  of  the 
corps  on  the  29th,  30th,  and  31st  of  May,  and  1st  of  June 
was  designated,  were  quite  severe  in  the  aggregate,  but 
were  not  reported  separately. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  June  1st  "Wright's  corps 
was  withdrawn  from  our  right  toward  Cold  Harbor,  and 
Birney's  division  was  therefore  withdrawn  from  the 


ORDERED  TO  COLD  HARBOR.  197 

south  side  of  the  Bun.  During  the  day  the  skirmish  line 
was  sharply  engaged,  but  no  heavy  fighting  occurred. 

On  the  night  of  June  1st  the  corps  withdrew  from 
the  position  of  Tolopotomy  Creek,  under  orders  to  mass 
near  army  headquarters;  but  that  order  was  suddenly 
changed,  and  instructions  were  given  to  push  on  to  Cold 
Harbor  with  all  speed. 

In  General  Meade's  orders  for  this  movement,  he  says : 
"  You  must  make  every  exertion  to  move  promptly,  and 
reach  Cold  Harbor  as  soon  as  possible.  At  that  point  you 
will  take  position  to  reenforce  "Wright  on  his  left,  which 
it  is  desired  to  extend  to  the  Chickahominy.  Every  con- 
fidence is  felt  that  your  gallant  corps  of  veterans  will  move 
with  vigor  and  endure  the  necessary  fatigue." 

The  night  was  intensely  hot  and  close,  and  the  dust 
was  suffocating,  but  the  wishes  of  General  Meade  would 
have  been  more  than  carried  out,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
unfortunate  mistake  made  by  one  of  his  staff  sent  to  guide 
the  column.  This  officer,  an  excellent  soldier  by  the  way, 
knowing  General  Hancock's  anxiety  to  reach  Cold  Har- 
bor at  the  earliest  moment,  undertook  to  lead  the  column 
by  a  "  short  cut "  through  a  wood  road,  forgetting  the 
adage  "  that  the  longest  way  round  is  often  the  shortest 
way  home."  After  traversing  this  wood  for  some  distance, 
the  road  grew  so  narrow  that  the  artillery  caught  between 
the  trees  and  was  eventually  obliged  to  turn  back,  and, 
it  being  very  dark  at  the  time,  the  infantry  moved  on 
some  distance  without  discovering  the  break  in  the  col- 
umn in  the  rear,  and  the  result  was  much  confusion. 
General  Hancock  put  his  staff  at  work  to  remedy  the  evil 
as  far  as  possible,  and  after  great  exertions  the  corps  was 
reunited ;  but  all  hope  of  reaching  Cold  Harbor  before 
daybreak  was  gone,  and  it  was  not* until  near  7  A.  M.  that 


198  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  IIANCOCK. 

the  corps  began  to  arrive  at  that  point,  and  then  in  an  ex- 
tremely exhausted  condition. 

While  the  troops  were  struggling  in  the  woods  in  the 
night,  General  Meade  had  ordered  General  Hancock  to 
attack  at  once  on  reaching  Cold  Harbor,  and  endeavor  to 
interpose  between  the  enemy's  right  and  the  Chickahom- 
iny,  and  to  secure  a  crossing  of  that  stream. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Cold  Harbor — Formation  of  the  Second  Corps — The  Assault — General 
Brooke  seriously  wounded — General  McKecn  killed — The  Attack  re- 
pulsed by  the  Enemy — General  Grant  on  the  Battle-field — An  Histori- 
cal Error  corrected — The  Discipline  and  Loyalty  of  the  Second  Corps — 
A  Flag  of  Truce  and  Cessation  of  Hostilities — Horrible  Sufferings  of 
the  Wounded  between  the  Lines — Siege  Operations — Frightful  Losses 
of  the  Second  Corps — The  Movement  to  the  James  River. 

THE  unfortunate  delay  which  prevented  the  Second 
Corps  from  reaching  Cold  Harbor  at  the  time  anticipated, 
and  the  fatigued  condition  of  the  men  after  their  excep- 
tionally toilsome  journey,  rendered  an  immediate  assault 
on  the  enemy  inexpedient,  and  the  orders  for  the  attack 
were  suspended  until  5  p.  M.  of  June  2d,  and  finally  until 
4.30  A.  M.  of  the  3d.  The  corps  was  formed  as  follows : 
on  Wright's  left,  Gibbon's  division  crossing  the  Mechanics- 
ville  road,  Barlow  on  his  left.  Birney's  division,  which 
had  been  left  to  support  Smith's  Eighteenth  Corps  in 
front  of  Moody's  house,  came  up  at  2  p.  M.  on  the  2d,  and 
was  posted  in  rear  of  Barlow's  left. 

All  the  ground  required  in  taking  positions  was 
wrested  from  the  enemy  by  heavy  skirmish  lines  and 
sharp  fighting. 

There  was  little  opportunity  after  the  troops  got  into 
position  to  make  the  close  examination  of  the  ground 
which  was  desired ;  but  every  effort  was  made  to  get  in- 
formation of  the  enemy's  position.  It  was  found  that  he 


200  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

held  a  sunken  road  in  front  of  Barlow's  division,  which, 
if  protected  on  the  flanks  and  well  manned,  might  prove 
as  disastrous  to  the  First  Division  as  the  sunken  road  and 
stone  wall  at  Fredericksburg  and  the  sunken  road  at  An- 
tietam  to  the  troops  which  assaulted  them.  Little  could 
be  learned  of  the  enemy's  main  line  in  front  of  Barlow, 
on  account  of  the  dense  growth  of  low  pines  which  effec- 
tually screened  it.  In  Gibbon's  front  the  information 
gained  was  even  more  scant. 

Barlow's  division  was  formed  for  the  assault  in  two 
deployed  lines  :  the  brigades  of  those  tried  and  ever-faith- 
ful leaders,  Brooke  and  Miles,  in  the  first  line,  and  those 
of  Byrnes  and  McDougall  in  the  second.  Gibbon  had  a 
similar  formation  for  his  first  line,  which  consisted  of 
Tyler's  and  Smythe's  brigades,  while  those  of  McKeen 
and  Owen  were  in  close  column  of  regiments  in  the  sec- 
ond line.  The  gallant  McKeen  had  been  taken  from  his 
regiment  to  command  one  of  General  Gibbon's  brigades 
in  the  First  Division,  a  few  days  before,  when  the  heavy 
artillery  division  (Tyler's)  was  broken  up. 

Birney  was  ordered  to  support  Barlow's  advance, 
whose  point  of  attack  was  a  small  house  on  a  prominent 
point,  notable  for  the  fact  that  our  artillery  held  it  for  a 
long  time  against  Stonewall  Jackson,  on  the  day  of  the 
battle  of  Gaines's  Mill,  in  1862. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  on  the  morning  of  the  3d, 
the  divisions  of  Barlow  and  Gibbon  moved  to  the  assault. 
Barlow  had  a  severe  struggle  at  the  sunken  road,  where 
he  found  the  enemy  posted,  but  succeeded  in  dislodging 
him,  and  followed  him  closely  into  his  works,  under  a 
heavy  fire  from  artillery  and  musketry.  At  the  moment 
of  entering  the  works,  Brooke  was  struck  in  the  abdomen 
by  a  canister  shot,  and  very  seriously  wounded,  an  irrep- 


GALLANTRY  OF  BARLOW'S  MEN.  201 

arable  loss  at  this  critical  moment.  The  troops,  for  a 
time,  held  possession  of  the  works,  seizing  three  guns 
and  capturing  one  color  and  about  three  hundred  pris- 
oners. Colonel  L.  O.  Morris,  who  assumed  command  of 
Brooke's  brigade  when  the  latter  was  wounded,  turned 
the  captured  guns  upon  the  enemy,  and  endeavored  to 
get  them  to  work ;  but  the  occasion  now  demanded  other 
efforts,  for  the  enemy's  reserve  was  rapidly  approach- 
ing, and,  unfortunately,  Barlow's  second  line  was  not 
near  enough  to  sustain  the  first.  Miles  made  desperate 
efforts  to  hold  that  portion  of  the  line  he  had  taken,  but 
was  forced  back  by  an  enfilading  fire  of  artillery.  Bar- 
low's men  did  not,  however,  retreat  in  confusion.  With 
a  gallantry  rarely  exhibited  under  such  circumstances,  a 
part  of  his  line,  particularly  the  One  Hundred  and  For- 
ty-eighth Pennsylvania  regiment,  Colonel  Beaver  com- 
manding, faced  to  the  enemy  within  a  short  distance  of 
his  line,  and  held  their  ground  until  they  had  constructed, 
with  their  bayonets  and  hands,  a  cover  which  enabled 
them  to  hold  on  permanently.  The  line  so  held  was  not 
more  than  thirty  to  forty  paces  from  the  enemy  at  one 
point. 

In  this  battle  Colonel  Byrnes,  Twenty-eighth  Mas- 
sachusetts Volunteers,  commanding  the  Irish  Brigade, 
Second  Corps,  which  had  been  brought  up  in  support, 
received  a  mortal  wound.  He  was  a  brave  and  promising 
young  officer.  Colonel  Morris,  Sixty-sixth  New  York 
Volunteers,  another  valuable  and  gallant  officer,  was  shot 
through  the  heart. 

On  the  right  Gibbon  was  still  more  severely  handled. 
The  difficulties  of  the  ground  in  his  front  were  such 
that  no  rapid  advance  could  be  made,  and  the  men  were, 
therefore,  longer  exposed  to  the  fire.  His  advance  was 


202  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

made  a  little  later  than  Barlow's,  owing  to  delay  in  form- 
ing one  of  his  brigades.  His  line  was  unfortunately 
cut  in  two  by  a  marsh  by  which,  as  it  widened  as  they 
advanced,  the  parts  were  more  and  more  separated. 
Notwithstanding  the  obstacles  of  the  ground,  however, 
Gibbon's  troops  pushed  close  up  to  the  enemy's  works, 
but  not  in  such  strength  and  order  as  to  enable  them  to 
go  further.  The  officers  and  men  behaved  intrepidly. 
Colonel  McMahon,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth  New 
York  Volunteers,  bore  his  colors  in  his  own  hands  to  the 
enemy's  works,  planting  them  on  the  parapet,  where  he 
fell,  pierced  by  many  bullets,  and  expired  in  the  enemy's 
hands,  losing  his  colors  with  honor.  The  gallant  McKecn 
(Eighty-first  Pennsylvania  Volunteers),  commanding  a 
brigade  of  Gibbon's  division,  fell  mortally  wounded,  just 
in  front  of  the  breastwork.  He  was  shot  in  the  stomach, 
and  suffered  intense  agony.  Seeing  that  he  would  prob- 
ably be  left  to  die  between  the  lines  of  battle,  it  was  re- 
ported that  he  begged  his  adjutant  to  kill  him,  and  thus 
end  his  pain. 

Colonel  Haskell,  Thirty  sixth  Wisconsin  Volunteers, 
whose  courage  and  mettle  had  been  formerly  so  con- 
spicuously shown  at  Gettysburg  and  en  other  fields,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command  of  McKeen's  brigade,  but  had 
hardly  ridden  out  to  his  line  when  he  was  shot  through 
the  head.  Colonel  Porter,  Eighth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery,  was  also  among  the  killed  in  this  onslaught,  and 
General  Tyler  was  dangerously  wounded  and  carried  from 
the  field.  " 

But  Gibbon's  troops  did  not  retire  in  disorder.  Re- 
pelled, but  not  routed,  they,  too,  held  a  position  close  to 
the  enemy.  Smythe's  brigade  even  made  a  second  attack, 
but  failed  to  effect  a  lodgment,  because,  as  stated  in  Gen- 


THE  ATTACK  REPULSED  BY  THE  ENEMY.     203 

eral  Gibbon's  report,  of  a  blunder  on  the  part  of  the 
commander  of  the  brigade  ordered  to  Smythe's  support. 

Birney's  division  took  no  part  in  the  assault.  It  was 
not  near  enough  to  be  brought  up  in  time  to  take  part  in 
Barlow's  attack.  General  Hancock  was  with  Barlow's 
division  during  the  assault.  Offensive  movements  on  our 
part  ceased  with  the  repulse  of  Smythe's  second  advance. 

About  this  time  General  Grant  visited  General  Han- 
cock on  the  battle-field,  and  inquired  how  the  fight  had 
gone.  General  Hancock  informed  him  that  we  had  been 
repulsed,  and  had  lost  very  severely,  especially  in  valu- 
able and  distinguished  officers,  whom  it  would  be  hard 
to  replace,  and  that  the  Second  Corps  had  received  a  blow 
from  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  recover — mentioning 
McKeen,  Haskell,  McMahon,  Byrnes,  and  others.  After 
some  conversation,  General  Grant  asked  General  Hancock 
whether  he  thought  another  assault  would  be  likely  to 
succeed.  General  Hancock  replied  that  he  was  of  the 
opinion  that  it  would  not ;  but  that  he  would  send  to  his 
division  commanders  and  get  their  views  on  the  subject, 
which  he  at  once  did.  All  of  the  division  commanders 
were  of  the  opinion  that  we  could  not  carry  the  enemy's 
line  by  another  attack. 

General  Grant  then  said  that  he  would  like  General 
Hancock  to  have  his  troops  in  readiness  to  advance  again 
against  the  enemy's  works  in  the  course  of  the  morning, 
but  also  said  that  the  advance  should  not  be  made  unless 
further  orders  to  that  effect  were  received  from  himself 
or  General  Meade.  General  Grant  then  rode  to  another 
part  of  our  lines.  General  Hancock  at  once  gave  the 
necessary  orders  to  his  division  commanders  to  have  their 
troops  in  readiness,  in  case  he  was  ordered  to  make  an- 
other attack.  No  such  orders  reached  him,  however, 


204  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

from  General  Grant  or  General  Meade,  but  about  9  A.  M. 
General  Hancock  received  the  following : 

"HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC, 
June  3,  1864,  8.45  A.  M. 

"  MAJOE-GENEKAL  HANCOCK  :  I  send  you  two  notes 
from  "Wright,  who  thinks  he  can  carry  the  enemy's  main 
line  if  he  is  relieved  by  attacks  of  the  Second  and 
Eighteenth  Corps ;  also,  that  he  is  under  the  impression 
that  he  is  in  advance  of  you.  It  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance no  effort  should  be  spared  to  succeed.  Wright 
and  Smith  are  both  going  to  try  again,  and,  unless  you 
consider  it  hopeless,  I  would  like  you  to  do  the  same. 
(Signed)  "GEOKGE  G.  MEADE,  Major-General" 

From  prisoners  captured,  General  Hancock  knew 
when  he  received  the  above  note  that  Bushrod  Johnson's 
entire  division  had  come  up  and  reenforced  the  enemy 
in  their  works  in  his  front,  and  did  not  therefore  con- 
sider we  had  any  hope  of  success  in  another  attack.  How 
far  the  first  attacks  of  Smith  and  "Wright  had  been 
pushed  does  not  appear  in  any  published  accounts  of  the 
battle,  but  we  have  never  heard  that  any  other  troops 
than  those  of  the  Second  Corps  penetrated  the  enemy's 
lines  or  secured  any  trophies.  General  Wright's  impres- 
sion that  he  was  in  advance  of  the  Second  Corps  was 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  direction  of  the  line,  for,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  Second  Corps  line  was  almost  in  contact  with 
that  of  the  enemy,  both  in  Barlow's  and  Gibbon's  fronts, 
and  so  remained  until  the  army  moved  to  the  James 
Eiver. 

An  assault  by  the  Second  Corps  had  never  been  a 
trifling  affair.  Blood  always  followed  the  blow.  An 
idea  of  the  desperate  fighting  during  this  day's  battle 


AN  HISTORICAL  ERROR  CORRECTED.  205 

may  be  formed  from  the  fact  that  the  official  report 
showed  the  losses  in  the  Second  Corps  to  be  over  three 
thousand  men  and  officers,  and  this  when  only  the  two 
smallest  divisions  of  the  corps  were  actually  engaged. 

General  Hancock  had  seen  the  young  men  whom  he 
had  trained  to  war  and  educated  to  command — on  whom 
he  relied  in  emergencies,  and  some  of  whom  he  had 
learned  to  love  with  a  sincere  affection — struck  down  in 
quick  succession,  in  their  chivalrous  efforts  to  add  another 
victory  to  our  arms.  He  knew  that  the  unlimited  devo- 
tion of  his  men  was  capable  of  still  further  sacrifice,  but 
he  recoiled  from  sending  them  again  to  useless  slaughter. 
It  has  been  stated  in  Swinton's  "  Army  of  the  Potomac," 
and  since  in  various  publications,  that  the  order  was  ac- 
tually given  for  a  second  assault  at  Cold  Harbor  on  the 
morning  of  June  3d,  but  that,  when  it  reached  the  troops 
in  regular  succession  through  division,  brigade,  and  regi- 
mental commanders,  no  man  stirred. 

Whether  such  an  occurrence  was  possible  in  any  body 
of  troops  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  may  well  be  ques- 
tioned ;  certainly  it  was  an  impossibility  and  an  absur- 
dity when  ascribed  to  the  Second  Corps.  Leaving  out 
of  view  the  men  like  Barlow,  Mott,  Smythe,  Miles,  and 
many  others,  whom  no  danger  could  daunt,  nor  any  con- 
siderations deter  from  prompt  compliance  with  orders  to 
advance,  even  if  certain  death  seemed  to  await  them, 
those  who  know  General  Hancock  know  also  that,  in 
such  a  contingency  as  is  narrated  by  Swinton,  he  would 
have  ridden  to  the  front  line  and  forced  the  men  against 
the  enemy. 

About  10.40  A.  M.,  on  the  3d,  after  it  was  seen  that 
we  could  not  carry  the  enemy's  lines,  Birney's  division 
was  sent  to  the  support  of  the  Fifth  Corps  (Warren's),  at 


206  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Moody's  liousc,  on  the  right  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps, 
where  it  remained  until  the  5th. 

In  the  evening,  just  before  dark,  the  enemy  attacked 
both  Barlow's  and  Gibbon's  lines,  but  were  easily  repelled. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  Gibbon's  sharp- 
shooters found  the  body  of  Colonel  McKeen,  and  secured 
his  watch  and  papers,  but  his  body  was  so  close  to  the 
enemy's  line  that  they  were  unable  to  remove  it.  This 
day  was  characterized  by  very  heavy  artillery  firing  and  a 
repetition  of  the  attempt  on  Barlow's  and  Gibbon's  lines 
in  the  evening. 

Colonel  L.  O.  Morris,  Seventh  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery,  who  had  fallen  to  the  command  of  Brooke's 
brigade,  after  that  officer  was  wounded  on  the  3d,  was 
killed  this  day  in  the  trenches  by  one  of  the  enemy's 
sharpshooters.  Colonel  James  A.  Beaver,  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  succeeded  him 
in  command  of  the  brigade. 

Regular  approaches  against  the  enemy  having  now 
been  decided  upon,  work  to  that  end  was  begun  by  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Yolunteers, 
Barlow's  division,  and  on  Gibbon's  front. 

On  the  5th,  about  5  p.  M.,  Colonel  Lyman,  of  Gen- 
eral Meade's  staff,  and  Major  Mitchell,  aide  to  General 
Hancock,  carried  out  a  flag  of  truce  on  the  Mechan- 
icsville  road,  which  was  met  by  Major  Wooten,  of  the 
Eighteenth  North  Carolina  Infantry.  General  Lee  being 
absent  from  his  headquarters,  no  reply  was  received  to 
the  dispatch  borne  by  Colonel  Lyman  until  nearly  ten 
o'clock.  The  flag  was  again  put  out  the  following  morn- 
ing, with  a  letter  from  General  Grant  to  General  Lee, 
but  it  was  not  until  the  7th  that  an  arrangement  was  ef- 
fected for  a  cessation  of  hostilities  from  6  to  8  p.  M.,  for 


THE   MOVEMENT   TO   THE  JAMES  KIVER.  207 

the  purpose  of  burying  the  dead  and  succoring  the 
wounded  between  the  lines. 

While  holding  the  lines  at  Cold  Harbor,  General 
Hancock  insisted  upon  retaining  his  headquarters  in  the 
very  exposed  location  selected  on  the  morning  of  his 
arrival.  Unable  to  conceal  his  anxiety  during  the  heavy 
firing  which  occurred  each  night,  the  General  would  call 
for  his  horse  and  ride  rapidly  toward  that  point  of  the 
line  where  the  firing  was  heaviest.  On  one  of  these  oc- 
casions his  absence  from  his  headquarters  seemed  remark- 
ably providential.  He  had  hurried  off,  accompanied  by 
one  or  two  of  his  staff,  and,  while  the  remainder  were 
having  their  horses  brought  up,  a  shell  came  whistling 
into  headquarters'  camp,  and  struck  the  Assistant  Pro- 
vost Marshal  of  the  corps,  Captain  Alexander  McCune, 
who  was  standing  in  the  door  of  General  Hancock's  tent, 
carrying  off  one  of  his  legs  below  the  knees,  a  wound 
from  which  he  died  a  few  days  after. 

When  Birney's  division  rejoined  the  corps  of  the 
Fifth,  it  extended  our  line  to  the  left  nearly  to  the 
Chickahominy. 

The  corps  remained  in  position,  taking  part  in  the 
siege  operations  at  Cold  Harbor,  until  the  night  of  June 
12th,  when  it  took  up  the  march  for  James  Kiver,  glad 
to  lose  sight  of  the  ground  where  it  had  met  such  losses. 
It  had,  in  fact,  received  an  almost  mortal  blow  at  Cold 
Harbor,  and  never  again  in  that  campaign  recovered  its 
full  force. 

A  story  was  current  in  the  army  about  this  time  that 
General  Hancock,  upon  being  asked  where  the  Second 
Corps  was,  replied  that  "  it  lay  buried  between  the  Kapi- 
dan  and  the  James." 

This  reply  might  have  been  made  without  any  great 


208  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

exaggeration,  for  it  had  lost  in  battle  the  flower  of  its 
strength.  The  average  loss  for  a  period  of  about  thirty 
days  was  over  400  men  daily.  It  was  not  in  numbers 
only,  however,  that  the  blow  was  so  grievously  felt. 
Between  these  rivers  the  corps  had  suffered  terribly  in 
the  loss  of  its  leaders — the  men  whose  presence,  experi- 
ence, and  example  were  worth  many  thousands  of  men. 
Hays,  Abbott,  Merriam,  Carroll,  Webb,  Brown,  Coons, 
Stryker,  Tyler,  Byrnes,  McMahon,  Brooke,  Haskell,  Mc- 
Keen,  Porter,  the  Morrises,  and  many  other  leaders  of 
troops  in  battle  were  dead  or  gone  from  the  corps  by 
reason  of  wounds ;  and,  although  there  were  many  other 
brave  and  efficient  officers  left,  the  places  of  those  who 
had  been  taken  could  not  be  filled,  as  the  right  men,  un- 
fortunately, are  not  always  in  the  right  places,  and,  in 
fact,  are  frequently  unknown,  until  circumstance  and  ex- 
perience have  developed  them. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Change  of  Base — Crossing  the  James — Ordered  to  Petersburg — A 
Chapter  of  Accidents — Blind  Guides — General  Grant's  Order — Opera- 
tions in  Front  of  Petersburg — The  Assault — Gallant  Conduct  of  Gen- 
eral Barlow — Death  of  Colonel  Kelly  (Eighty-eighth  New  York  Volun- 
teers), commanding  the  Irish  Brigade— General  Hancock  disabled 
by  his  Old  Wound — He  relinquishes  his  Command  to  Major-General 
Birney. 

THE  change  of  base  to  the  James  River  in  front  of  an 
enemy  who  had  exhibited  such  consummate  ability  was  a 
delicate  and  hazardous  movement ;  but  General  Grant,  as- 
sisted by  his  able  subordinates,  accomplished  it  with  much 
skill  and  with  entire  success.  We  have  not  space  for  the 
details  of  the  whole  process,  but  must  be  content  with 
describing  the  movements  of  the  forces  under  the  im- 
mediate command  of  General  Hancock.  This  we  are  en- 
abled to  do  with  exactness,  aided  by  the  kindness  and 
scholarly  ability  of  General  C.  H.  Morgan,  late  Chief  of 
Staff  of  the  Second  Corps,  whose  narrative  has  been 
kindly  placed  at  our  service. 

The  march  across  the  Peninsula  (fifty-five  miles)  occu- 
pied two  days,  and  was  admirably  conducted  by  every 
part  of  the  army,  Lee  making  no  attempt  to  interfere 
with  the  withdrawal  of  the  Union  forces.  The  point  on 
the  James  which  the  army  struck  was  below  Harrison's 
Landing.  Delay  was  occasioned  by  the  non-arrival  of 
pontoons ;  but,  as  we  shall  see,  other  means  were  sup- 


210  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

plied  for  transporting  his  troops  over  the  river.  The  de- 
tails of  his  movement  are  as  follows. 

Barlow's  division  marched  out  of  the  lines  at  Cold 
Harbor  at  11  P.  M.,  June  12th,  followed  in  succession  by 
Gibbon  and  Birney.  The  lines  were  so  close,  and  the 
picket  firing  had  been  so  incessant  for  many  days,  that  its 
cessation  on  our  part  was  sufficient  of  itself  to  notify  the 
enemy  that  we  were  moving.  It  wras,  therefore,  an  op- 
eration of  great  delicacy  to  disengage  ourselves  from  this 
position  without  a  contest.  The  movement  was  happily 
accomplished,  however ;  and  some  time  after  the  divis- 
ions had  marched,  the  picket  line  was  quietly  withdrawn 
and  joined  to  the  corps  by  Colonel  Hamill,  Sixty-sixth 
New  York  Volunteers,  field  officer  of  the  day  of  the  Sec- 
ond Corps — an  officer  who,  from  his  coolness  and  other 
soldierly  qualities,  was  especially  adapted  for  such  deli- 
cate service — assisted  by  Captain  "W.  P.  Wilson,  A.  D.  C., 
whom  General  Hancock  had  detailed  for  duty  with  Colo- 
nel Hamill  on  that  occasion. 

After  a  weary  night-march  the  corps  reached  Jones's 
Bridge  over  the  Chickahominy.  At  this  point  Birney's 
division  took  the  lead,  and  the  column  proceeded  toward 
the  James  River,  bivouacking  at  Wilcox  Landing,  between 
five  and  six  o'clock  that  evening. 

A  few  minutes  past  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the 
transports  were  in  readiness  to  begin  crossing  the  troops 
to  Windmill  Point,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  James.  A 
bridge  of  boats  was  constructed  at  a  lower  point  on  the 
river,  on  which  other  corps  of  the  army  crossed. 

General  Hancock  established  his  headquarters  at  the 
landing,  to  superintend  the  transfer,  and  so  energetically 
was  it  pushed  that,  despite  the  somewhat  limited  means 
at  command,  the  three  divisions  and  four  batteries  of  the 


ORDERED  TO  PETERSBURG.  211 

corps  were  landed  on  the  south  bank  at  Windmill  Point, 
ready  to  move  by  6.30  A.  M.  on  the  15th. 

During  the  night  of  the  14th  General  Hancock  re- 
ceived the  following  instructions  from  General  Meade  : 

"  General  Butler  has  been  ordered  to  send  to  you 
at  "Windmill  Point  sixty  thousand  (60,000)  rations.  So 
soon  as  they  are  received  and  issued,  you  will  move  your 
command  by  the  most  direct  route  to  Petersburg,  taking 
up  a  position  where  the  City  Point  Railroad  crosses  Har- 
rison's Creek,  at  the  cross  roads  indicated  at  this  point, 
and  extend  your  right  toward  the  mouth  of  Harrison's 
Creek,  where  we  now  have  a  work." 

We  quote  these  instructions  in  full,  because  the  march 
of  the  Second  Corps  and  the  hour  of  its  arrival  at  Peters- 
burg had  a  very  decided  bearing  on  the  fate  of  that  city, 
and  formed  the  subject  of  considerable  controversy  at  the 
time. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  15th,  General  Hancock 
issued  his  orders  of  march,  directing  Birney's  division  to 
move  at  9  A.  M.,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  it  had  drawn  its 
rations.  At  6.30  A.  M.  General  Hancock  notified  Gen- 
eral Meade  that  the  rations  had  not  arrived,  and  at  Y.30 
A.  M.  General  Meade  replied  that  the  corps  should  move 
without  its  rations,  leaving  an  officer  to  conduct  the  tran- 
sport to  some  suitable  point  on  the  Appomattox.  But  it 
chanced  that,  just  as  this  order  was  received,  General 
Hancock  was  informed  that  the  rations  had  arrived  and 
were  being  unloaded — this  report  being  made  by  the  en- 
gineer officer  charged  with  the  repair  of  the  wharf  at 
which  the  transport  was  to  land.  General  Hancock  was 
therefore  authorized  to  go  on  with  the  issue,  and  it  was 
not  until  an  hour  later  that  word  reached  him  that  the 
report  concerning  the  arrival  of  the  rations  was  erroneous, 


212  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  officer  who  made  it  having  seen  a  transport  from  City 
Point  go  to  the  wharf,  and  surmised  the  rest.  As  soon  as 
this  was  ascertained,  the  ration  details  were  recalled,  and 
the  column  ordered  to  move.  (It  may  be  mentioned  here 
that  the  transport  arrived  about  noon,  and,  as  she  drew 
eleven  feet  of  water,  could  not  have  unloaded  at  any 
wharf  on  the  south  side.)  General  Hancock  remained  on 
the  north  bank,  hurrying  forward  the  embarkation  of  his 
ammunition  and  artillery,  until  the  last-mentioned  or- 
der was  received,  when  he  crossed  the  river  and  joined 
his  troops.  His  having  been  in  the  saddle  almost  night 
and  day  since  the  3d  of  May  had  caused  the  wound  he 
had  received  at  Gettysburg  to  become  much  irritated  and 
inflamed,  threatening,  in  fact,  to  compel  him  to  quit  the 
field  for  a  time.  He  was  now,  in  consequence,  obliged  to 
travel  in  an  ambulance,  leaving  his  chief  of  staff  to  con- 
duct the  column. 

A  map  had  been  furnished  General  Hancock  from 
army  headquarters  for  his  guidance,  on  which  the  desig- 
nated position  of  the  corps  at  Harrison's  Creek  was  traced 
in  colored  crayon.  According  to  the  map,  Harrison's 
Creek  was  about  four  miles  from  Petersburg,  in  the  di- 
rection of  City  Point.  As  is  now  well  known,  the  posi- 
tion indicated  had  no  existence,  and  Harrison's  Creek  was 
within  the  enemy's  lines. 

The  order  to  move  was  given  at  9.15  A.  M.  by  signal 
telegraph,  and  also  transmitted  at  the  same  hour  by  the 
hands  of  a  staff  officer  ;  but,  to  add  to  the  chapter  of  ac- 
cidents, the  boat  in  which  the  staff  officer  took  passage 
grounded,  and  he  was  delayed  thirteen  minutes,  while  the 
signal  dispatch  miscarried  entirely.  If  we  describe  these 
incidents  with  some  minuteness,  we  hope  it  may  not  there- 
fore be  inferred  that  we  attach  any  great  importance  to 


BLIND  GUIDES.  213 

them,  for  the  corps  could  have  moved  at  half  past  six  with 
one  day's  rations,  had  it  been  so  ordered,  or  had  General 
Hancock  surmised  that  he  was  an  element  in  any  impor- 
tant combination  made  by  the  Lieutenant-General,  or  that 
any  attack  was  to  be  made  on  Petersburg  that  day.  As  it 
was,  the  column  moved  at  10.30  A.  M.  The  country  was 
pretty  thoroughly  swept  of  its  white  inhabitants,  who  had 
fled  at  the  approach  of  our  army,  and  the  roads  had  from 
disuse  ceased  to  have  the  appearance  of  highways. 

Some  negro  guides  were  procured,  but  neither  they 
nor  the  occasional  white  people  found  could  give  any  in- 
formation concerning  Harrison's  Creek. 

It  was  finally  determined  that  the  map  was  worse 
than  useless  as  a  guide.  The  day  was  very  hot,  and  but 
little  water  was  found  on  the  route,  causing  the  men  to 
suffer  severely.  No  delays  occurred,  however,  after  the 
inarch  began,  and  about  3  p.  M.  Birney's  division  was 
within  six  miles  of  Petersburg,  on  the  Prince  George 
Court-house  road.  Here  it  was  decided,  from  informa- 
tion gleaned  from  negroes,  that  the  speediest  method  of 
getting  to  the  position  the  corps  was  ordered  to  take 
was  to  march  to  old  Court-house,  and  thence  by  a  cross 
road  to  the  line  behind  Harrison's  Creek.  Accordingly 
Birney  and  Gibbon  were  turned  in  the  direction  of  Old 
Court-house,  while  Barlow,  who  was  in  their  rear,  took  a 
shorter  road  from  Powell's  Creek  to  Old  Court-house, 
followed  by  the  train. 

Random  artillery  firing  had  been  heard  at  intervals 
during  the  march,  and,  as  the  column  turned  from  the 
direct  road  to  Petersburg,  the  firing  —  without  being 
heavier  than  that  from  a  single  battery — became  brisk 
enough  to  cause  the  question  to  be  presented  to  General 
Hancock's  mind,  whether  or  not  he  should  march  toward 


214  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

the  guns.  Inquiry  at  the  houses  in  the  vicinity  showed 
that  Kautz's  division  of  cavalry  with  several  guns  Had 
passed  toward  Petersburg  in  the  morning,  and  the  firing 
was  naturally  attributed  to  a  reconnoissance  or  raid  by 
the  cavalry,  and  General  Hancock  therefore  decided  to 
adhere  to  his  original  instructions.  He  had  a  right  to 
suppose  that  if  any  enterprise  had  been  set  on  foot  which 
might  require  his  cooperation,  he  would  have  been  in- 
formed thereof,  in  order  that  he  might  direct  the  march 
of  his  troops  with  intelligence.  General  Hancock's  sur- 
prise may  therefore  be  imagined  when,  at  half  past  five, 
as  the  head  of  his  column  was  about  a  mile  from  Old 
Court-house,  he  received  the  following  dispatch  from 
Lieutenant-General  Grant,  addressed  to  General  Gibbon 
or  any  division  commander  of  the  Second  Corps  : 

"  Some  of  my  staff,  who  came  up  from  Fort  Pow- 
hatan,  report  not  having  seen  the  Second  Corps  march- 
ing as  they  passed.  Orders  were  sent  for  the  corps  to 
march  early  this  morning,  and  General  Meade  reported 
that  the  orders  were  sent  at  6  A.  M.  [It  has  been  seen 
that  these  orders  were  modified  by  consent  of  General 
Meade,  on  account  of  the  rations,  which  had  been  or- 
dered to  the  corps.]  Use  all  haste  in  getting  up.  Smith 
carried  the  outer  works  at  Petersburg  to-day,  and  may 
need  your  assistance.  This  order  is  intended  for  the 
wrhole  Second  Corps  and  directed  to  you,  supposing  you 
to  have  the.  advance.  Communicate  it  to  all  the  division 
commanders  and  to  General  Hancock,  and  push  forward 
as  rapidly  as  possible.  Commissary  stores  are  now  being 
loaded  into  wagons,  and  will  reach  you  some  time  to-night 
on  the  road. 

(Signed)  "U.  S.  GKANT,  Lieutenant- General" 


ON  THE  MARCH  TO  PETERSBURG.  215 

Fortunately  the  Lead  of  the  column  at  this  time  was 
nearly  opposite  the  Middle  Road  leading  to  Petersburg, 
and  was  at  once  turned  in  that  direction. 

One  of  General  Barlow's  staff  had  brought  the  above 
order  to  General  Hancock  (it  had  reached  General  Bar- 
low, instead  of  General  Gibbon),  and  word  was  sent  back 
by  him  that  the  leading  divisions  had  marched  for  Peters- 
burg, and  that,  if  Barlow  would  take  a  cross  road  in  the 
same  direction,  he  would  be  met  at  the  City  Point  Rail- 
road crossing,  and  shown  to  his  position.  Staff  officers 
were  dispatched  by  General  Hancock  to  General  Smith, 
to  ascertain  the  situation  and  to  find  the  roads  by  which 
the  troops  would  probably  move  in  taking  position,  Gen- 
eral Hancock  himself,  notwithstanding  the  condition  of 
his  wound,  insisting  upon  mounting  his  horse  and  going 
to  the  front,  though  he  was  in  such  excruciating  pain  as 
to  be  unable  to  bear  riding  faster  than  a  walk. 

General  Hancock's  wound,  received  at  Gettysburg, 
continued  to  give  him  great  trouble  and  annoyance  during 
the  campaign,  and,  although  he  continued  with  his  com- 
mand, he  was  obliged  to  travel  in  an  ambulance  a  great 
portion  of  the  time.  His  habit,  on  the  march,  was  to 
remain  in  his  ambulance  at  the  head  of  his  column  until 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy,  when  he  mounted  his 
horse,  and  there  remained  until  the  fighting  was  over. 
During  the  whole  of  the  summer  of  1864  he  was  daily 
attended  by  a  surgeon  on  account  of  his  wound,  which 
at  that  time  was  much  irritated,  and  discharging  more  or 
less  all  the  time — small  portions  of  the  bone  at  times 
passing  from  it. 

While  in  front  of  the  enemy's  works  at  Petersburg, 
Virginia,  in  June,  1864,  when  the  troops  were  constantly 
under  fire,  and  the  General  was  obliged  to  be  mounted 


216  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

nearly  all  of  tlie  time,  both  day  and  night,  his  wound  be- 
came so  inflamed  and  dangerous  that,  as  will  be  hereafter 
seen,  he  was  compelled  to  relinquish  command  of  the 
corps  for  a  few  days  (June  17th,  after  the  bloody  fight  of 
that  day  was  over),  and  turned  it  over  to  his  next  in  rank. 
He  did  not,  however,  leave  the  field,  but  continued  with 
the  troops,  and  again  assumed  command  of  the  corps, 
June  27th,  finding  himself  much  relieved  by  the  dis- 
charge of  quite  a  large  piece  of  bone  from  the  wound. 

He  continued  to  suffer  from  this  wound  during  all 
the  rest  of  the  war. 

Half  an  hour  after  the  receipt  of  the  dispatch  from 
the  Lieutenant-General,  the  following  was  received  from 
General  Smith : 

"HEADQUARTERS  EIGHTEENTH  CORPS,  June  15,  1864. 
(No  Jiour.) 

"  MAJOK-GENERAL  HANCOCK  (or  GIBBON)  : 

"  GENERAL  :  General  Grant  has  authorized  me  to  call 
on  you  to  hurry  forward  to  Petersburg,  to  aid  in  its  cap- 
ture. At  present  I  do  not  suppose  there  is  much  infantry 
force  there,  but  the  wide  open  spaces  along  my  entire 
front,  and  the  heavy  artillery  fire  of  the  enemy,  have  pre- 
vented me  from  attempting  any  assault,  and  from  getting 
my  artillery  into  position  to  do  any  service.  If  the  Sec- 
ond Corps  can  come  up  in  time  to  make  an  assault  to- 
night after  dark,  in  vicinity  of  Norfolk  and  Petersburg 
Railroad,  I  think  it  may  be  successful.  But  to-night  is 
the  last  night,  as  General  Lee  is  reported  crossing  at 
Chapin's  Bluff.  Please  inform  me  by  bearer  when  the 
head  of  your  column  may  be  expected  here.  My  left  is 
at  the  Jordan  Point  road.  Respectfully, 

(Signed)  "  WILLIAM  F.  SMITH, 

" Major- General  Commanding" 


OPERATIONS  IN  FRONT  OF  PETERSBURG.  217 

At  6.30  P.  M.  the  head  of  General  Hancock's  column 
(Birney's  division)  had  arrived  at  the  Bryant  house,  on 
Bailey's  Creek,  about  one  mile  in  rear  of  Hinck's  divis- 
ion of  the  Eighteenth  Corps.  Gibbon  followed  closely, 
and  both  divisions  were  massed  at  that  point,  with  in- 
structions to  move  up  as  soon  as  they  could  ascertain 
where  their  assistance  was  needed. 

General  Hancock,  in  the  mean  time,  sought  General 
Smith  on  the  field,  and  met  him  on  his  line  just  at  dusk. 
In  the  interview  which  followed,  General  Hancock  ten- 
dered to  General  Smith  the  use  of  Gibbon's  and  Birney',j3 
divisions  for  any  further  operations  General  Smith  might 
desire  to  make,  telling  him  in  substance  that  it  was  too 
dark  for  him  (General  Hancock)  to  make  any  examination 
of  the  position,  and  as  General  Smith  had  acquired  famili- 
arity with  the  situation,  by  having  been  in  front  of  the 
works  during  the  afternoon,  he  should  know  best  what 
ought  to  be  done. 

At  General  Smith's  request  the  two  divisions  were 
brought  up,  and  relieved  the  troops  of  the  Eighteenth 
Corps  in  the  captured  works,  between  the  Friend  and 
Dunn  houses,  embracing  nearly,  if  not  quite  all,  of  the 
captured  line,  Gibbon  taking  the  right  of  the  Prince 
George  road,  and  Birney  the  left.  It  was  about  11  p.  M. 
when  this  operation  was  completed. 

The  failure  of  the  Second  Corps  to  arrive  "  in  time  " 
was  given  in  the  "  K~ew  York  Tribune,"  a  day  or  two 
after,  as  the  reason  why  Petersburg  was  not  taken  on  the 
15th  June.  It  must  be  clear,  from  the  narrative  we  have 
given,  that  the  hour  of  arrival  of  the  Second  Corps  was 
as  soon  after  General  Grant's  dispatch  was  received  as 
possible. 

That  General  Hancock  was  under  no  responsibility 
10 


218  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

to  go  to  Petersburg  before  the  receipt  of  that  dispatch 
must  be  equally  apparent.  Feeling  aggrieved  at  the 
charges  referred  to,  as  they  evidently  came  from  an 
official  origin,  General  Hancock  applied  for  a  court  of 
inquiry,  and  then  the  remarkable  fact  was  developed  that 
not  even  General  Meade,  the  Commander  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  knew  that  Petersburg  was  to  be  at- 
tacked. 

In  endorsing  General  Hancock's  application,  General 
Meade  says,  "Had  either  General  Hancock  or  myself 
known  that  Petersburg  was  to  be  attacked,  Petersburg 
would  have  fallen." 

General  Hancock  was  thoroughly  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  gaining  every  foot  of  ground  which  could 
be  seized  in  the  direction  of  the  Appomattox.  After 
midnight,  on  the  15th,  therefore,  he  sent  the  following 
instructions  to  Generals  Gibbon  and  Birney  : 

"  If  there  are  any  points  on  your  front  commanding 
your  position,  now  occupied  by  the  enemy,  the  Major- 
General  commanding  directs  that  they  be  taken  at  or  be- 
fore daylight,  preferably  before,  as  it  is  desirable  to  pre- 
vent the  enemy  from  holding  any  points  between  us  and 
the  Appomattox.  It  is  thought  there  are  one  or  two  such 
points.  General  Barlow  will  soon  be  up,  and  will  mass 
on  Gibbon's  left." 

This  dispatch  was  delivered  to  Generals  Gibbon  and 
Birney  between  1  and  2  A.  M.  on  the  16th.  Barlow's 
division  had  missed  its  road  from  Old  Church,  and,  for 
some  reason  not  easily  understood,  had  marched  toward 
City  Point,  until  it  was  stopped  by  one  of  General  Han- 
cock's staff,  and  the  column  placed  on  the  Petersburg 
road — too  late,  however,  to  enable  the  division  to  get  on 
the  field  that  evening  (the  15th).  It  bivouacked  about 


PICKET  FIRING.  219 

three  miles  in  the  rear,  and  came  up  early  the  next 
morning. 

In  regard  to  the  manner  in  which  the  instructions  we 
have  just  quoted  were  carried  out,  it  may  be  said  that 
nothing  was  done  during  the  night.  The  enemy's  pickets 
were  firing  briskly  while  Gibbon  and  Birney  were  relieving 
the  troops  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  and  the  commander 
reported  that  the  darkness  prevented  the  necessary  exam- 
ination to  determine  whether  or  not  the  enemy  occupied 
any  positions  in  front  such  as  were  spoken  of  in  General 
Hancock's  note. 

The  General  rode  to  the  line  of  the  Second  Division 
soon  after  daybreak,  and  found  the  enemy's  pickets 
within  pistol-shot  of  the  intrenchments.  A  staff  officer, 
who  was  sent  to  Birney's  front,  passed  through  his  line 
and  out  toward  the  Avery  house,  without  seeing  any  of 
Birney's  pickets,  but  saw  the  enemy  forming  line  of  battle 
to  the  right,  and  in  front  of  that  point,  seizing  the  large 
redoubt  in  that  vicinity,  and  stealing,  an  hour  after  day- 
light, the  very  ground  Burnside  and  Barlow  afterward 
assaulted  with  such  heavy  loss.  The  troops  of  the  enemy 
seen  were  evidently  coming  in  great  haste  from  Peters- 
burg, the  column  being  stretched  out  in  such  manner  as 
to  indicate  that  the  march  had  been  hurried. 

During  the  temporary  absence  of  both  General  Grant 
and  General  Meade  on  the  morning  of  the  16th,  General 
Hancock  was  instructed  to  take  command  of  all  the 
troops  then  in  front  of  Petersburg,  and  to  push  forward 
a  reconnoissance  to  determine  a  suitable  place  for  an  as- 
sault which  it  was  proposed  to  make  at  6  p.  M.  Bar- 
low's division  had  been  meanwhile  formed  on  Bir- 
ney's left,  and  Burnside's  corps,  which  came  up  later, 
had  massed  on  Barlow's  left,  under  instructions  to  as- 


220  L!FE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

sist  in  the  assault,  or  in  case  the  enemy  should  attack 
our  lines. 

The  reconnoissance  was  made  by  Birney  on  the  left  of 
the  Prince  George  Court-house  road.  General  Meade  ar- 
rived while  it  was  in  progress,  and  it  was  decided  that  the 
attack  should  be  made  toward  the  Hare  house  on  Birney's 
front.  This  reconnoissance  led  to  a  very  animated  skir- 
mish and  artillery  fire,  which  continued  to  the  time  set 
for  the  assault.  The  burden  of  the  attack  fell  upon  Bar- 
low's and  Birney's  divisions.  Gibbon  was,  however,  en- 
gaged, and  two  brigades  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps  and  two 
of  the  Ninth  were  used  as  supports.  It  was  evident  that 
Lee's  veterans  had  arrived,  for  the  spirited  attacks  of  Bir- 
ney and  Barlow  failed  to  break  the  enemy's  line,  though 
it  was  forced  back  some  distance.  General  Barlow  led 
one  of  his  assaults,  cap  in  hand,  but  his  example  was  in 
vain.  He  was  bravely  seconded  by  his  officers,  many  of 
whom  were  shot  down.  The  gallant  Colonel  Patrick 
Kelly,  Eighty-eighth  New  York  Volunteers,  commanding 
the  Irish  Brigade,  was  killed  at  the  head  of  his  command 
while  cheering  them  on.  He  was  a  most  faithful,  intrepid, 
and  reliable  soldier.  Colonel  James  A.  Beaver,  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  com- 
manding the  Fourth  brigade  of  Barlow's  division,  was  se- 
riously wounded  at  the  head  of  his  command,  leaving  that 
brigade  in  the  hands  of  its  fourth  commander  within  a 
fortnight.  The  skirmish  and  artillery  fire  continued  much 
of  the  night,  as  at  Cold  Harbor. 

The  17th  passed  without  an  assault  by  the  Second 
Corps,  although  the  troops  were  engaged  at  intervals  dur- 
ing the  day  in  checking  the  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  feel 
our  lines.  Burnside  made  a  successful  assault  in  the 
morning  from  Barlow's  left,  capturing  several  guns  and 


HE  RELINQUISHES  HIS  COMMAND  TO  BIKNEY.       221 

some  prisoners.  He  attacked  again  in  the  evening  un- 
successfully, in  which  attack  Barlow  participated,  losing 
largely,  particularly  in  prisoners.  These  assaults  were 
made  against  the  positions  taken  up  by  the  enemy  late  on 
the  previous  morning,  as  already  described.  By  night  of 
the  lYth  General  Hancock's  wound  had  become  so  irri- 
tated and  painful  as  to  compel  him  temporarily  to  relin- 
quish the  command  of  his  corps,  which  was  turned  over 
to  the  next  senior,  Major-General  Birney. 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

Petersburg — General  Birney  in  Command — Persistent  but  Futile  Attempts 
to  carry  the  Enemy's  Lines — The  Assault  abandoned — The  Union 
Army  fortifies  its  Position — Threatening  the  Weldon  Road — Capture  of 
a  Second  Corps  Battery — The  Men  dispirited — General  Hancock  re- 
sumes his  Command — General  Order  No.  22 — General  Birney  takes 
command  of  the  Tenth  Corps — Losses  of  the  Second  Corps  from  the 
Crossing  of  the  James  to  July  26th,  1864. 

THE  history  of  the  bloody  assaults,  made  on  the  18th 
under  General  Birney' s  orders,  has  never  been  written. 
At  daylight  he  pushed  forward  a  strong  skirmish  line  on 
the  right  and  left  of  the  Prince  George  Court-house 
road,  and  found  that  the  enemy  had  withdrawn  from  the 
positions  they  held  the  night  before,  to  the  new  line  be- 
yond the  Hare  house.  It  is  very  evident  that  it  was  not 
then  supposed  at  army  headquarters  that  the  purpose  of 
the  enemy  in  holding  their  advanced  ground  so  tenacious- 
ly was  to  permit  the  construction  of  the  new  line,  which 
Lee  held  so  long  and  successfully  afterward,  for  at  7  A.  M. 
the  following  was  sent  to  General  Birney : 

"HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OP  THE  POTOMAC, 
"  June  18th,  7  A.  M. 

"  MAJOR-GENERAL  BIRNEY  :  I  have  received  your  dis- 
patch and  Hoke's  man.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe 
the  enemy  have  no  regularly  fortified  line  between  the  one 
abandoned  and  Petersburg ;  but,  if  time  is  given  them, 


GENERAL  BIRNEY  IN  COMMAND.  223 

they  will  make  one.  I  have  moved  the  whole  army  for- 
ward, and  directed  the  commanding  officers  on  your  right 
and  left  to  communicate  with  you.  It  is  of  great  impor- 
tance the  enemy  should  be  pressed,  and,  if  possible,  forced 
across  the  Appomattox.  I  can  not  ascertain  whether 
there  is  any  force  in  our  front  but  Beauregard's,  consisting 
of  Hoke's,  Ransom's  and  Johnson's  (Bushrod)  divisions. 
They  can  not  be  over  30,000,  and  we  have  55,000.  If  we 
can  engage  them  before  they  are  fortified,  we  ought  to 
whip  them. 

(Signed)  "  GEO.  G.  MEADE." 

General  Birney  pushed  on  until  he  developed  the 
works  of  the  enemy,  and,  between  10  and  11  A.  M.,  re- 
ported to  General  Meade  that  their  position  was  strong; 
that  artillery  could  not  assist  in  attacking  them  ;  and  that 
he  (Birney)  was  ready  to  assault  when  Martindale  and 
Neill  (commanding  troops  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps  on 
the  right  of  the  Second)  were  ready. 

General  Meade  directed  that  the  attack  should  be 
made  at  12  M.,  by  headquarters  time ;  that  the  column  of 
assault  should  be  strong,  well  supported,  and  vigorously 
pushed,  and  should  advance  without  firing  until  it  had 
penetrated  the  enemy's  lines.  The  main  assault  was 
made  by  Gibbon's  division  in  two  lines,  and  it  must  have 
been  made  "  on  time,"  for  at  12.20  p.  M.  General  Pierce, 
then  commanding  a  brigade  in  Gibbon's  division,  reports 
that  the  assault  has  been  repulsed,  and  a  postscript  to  the 
same  dispatch  announces  the  wounding  of  Pierce  himself. 

General  Birney,  however,  determined  to  renew  the 
assault,  and,  on  notifying  General  Meade  of  this  intention, 
received  the  following  reply : 

"  You  will  attack  again  as  you  propose  with  the  least 


224:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

possible  delay.  The  order  of  attack  this  morning  re- 
quired strong  columns  of  assault.  Please  conform  to 
this.  General  Martindale  is  about  advancing  again,  and 
needs  your  cooperation.  Select  your  own  point  of  attack, 
but  do  not  lose  any  time  in  examination." 

Martindale's  previous  advance  to  a  crest  occupied  by 
the  enemy  met  with  little  opposition.  He  secured  about 
forty  prisoners.  We  give  one  more  dispatch  from  Gen- 
eral Meade,  to  show  the  persistence  with  which  he  at- 
tempted to  force  the  lines  of  Petersburg  on  the  18th. 

"HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC, 
"June  18,  1864. 

"  MAJOK-GENEKAL  BIKNEY  :  I  have  sent  a  positive 
order  to  Generals  Burnside  and  Warren  to  attack,  at  all 
hazards,  with  their  whole  force.  I  find  it  useless  to  ap- 
point an  hour  to  effect  cooperation,  and  I  am  therefore 
compelled  to  give  you  the  same  order.  You  have  a  large 
corps,  powerful  and  numerous,  and  I  beg  you  will  at 
once,  as  soon  as  possible,  assault  in  a  strong  column.  The 
day  is  fast  going,  and  I  wish  the  practicability  of  carry- 
ing the  enemy's  line  settled  before  dark. 

(Signed)  "  GEO.  G.  MEADE, 

"  Major-  General" 

Birney's  next  attempt  was  made  from  the  Hare  house 
on  Mott's  front,  with  two  columns  formed  in  columns  of 
regiments.  Mott  took  the  measures  most  likely  to  lead 
to  success.  The  First  Maine  Heavy  Artillery,  nearly  one 
thousand  strong,  was  in  his  command,  and,  as  it  was  a  new 
regiment,  composed  of  exceptionally  good  material,  and 
had  not  yet  become  disheartened  by  repeated  and  unsuc- 
cessful assaults,  Mott  determined  that  it  should  lead  the 


THE  ASSAULT  ABANDONED.  225 

attack,  and,  if  it  gained  any  advantages,  the  old,  tried  reg- 
iments in  the  rear  should  secure  and  retain  them.  The 
First  Maine  made  a  most  gallant  advance.  They  charged, 
without  firing,  across  an  open  field  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  in  width,  but  failed  to  penetrate  the  ene- 
my's lines,  leaving  over  six  hundred  in  killed  and  wound- 
ed. The  veteran  regiments  in  the  rear,  who,  as  Mott 
said,  "  had  seen  the  wolf  and  bore  his  scars,"  did  not  per- 
sist in  the  assault. 

Barlow's  division  had  its  full  share  in  the  assaults 
made  this  day  on  the  immediate  right  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  and  left  of  Mott's  division,  but  the  details  of  the 
movements  are  not  known.  The  mortality  list,  however, 
speaks  for  itself. 

At  5  P.  M.  General  Meade  had  become  satisfied  that 
it  was  impracticable  to  carry  the  enemy's  lines,  but  his 
last  dispatch  shows  how  firmly  he  had  set  his  soul  upon 
the  attempt. 

"HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC, 
"5  P.  M.,  June  18,  1864. 

"  MAJOR-GENERAL  BIRNEY  :  Sorry  to  hear  you  could 
not  carry  the  works.  Get  the  best  line  you  can,  and  be 
prepared  to  hold  it.  I  suppose  you  can  not  make  any 
more  attacks,  and  feel  satisfied  all  has  been  done  that  can 
be  done. 

(Signed)  "  GEORGE  G.  MEADE, 

"  Major- General  Commanding." 

Here  ended  the  long  list  of  terrible  and  bloody  as- 
saults, inaugurated  at  Spottsylvania,  in  which  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  was  hurled  against  the  enemy's  lines ;  to 
be  seized  at  every  rebound,  and  hurled  again  and  again, 
until  all  opposition  was  beaten  down  by  the  mere  shock 
of  impact. 


226  LIFJE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

On  the  19th  the  army  was  busily  engaged  in  strength- 
ening its  position  by  breastworks.  On  the  20th  the  Sec- 
ond Corps  was  relieved  from  the  lines  by  the  Sixth  and 
Ninth  Corps,  and  massed  in  rear  of  the  left  center.  This 
going  "  in  reserve "  was  an  old  joke  in  the  corps.  As 
long  ago  as  Gettysburg,  when  it  was  announced  that  the 
Second  Corps  would  be  in  reserve,  a  brisk  little  Irishman 
in  the  Irish  Brigade  created  much  merriment  among  his 
comrades  by  his  dry  observation,  "  Yis,  resarved  for  the 
hard  fighting."  Accordingly,  no  surprise  was  felt  when 
the  morning  saw  the  corps  on  the  move  across  the  Nor- 
folk Railroad  and  Jerusalem  plank  road,  where  it  took  up 
Warren's  line  and  extended  it  to  the  Williams  house — 
this  being  the  first  of  the  extensions  to  the  left  in  front 
of  Petersburg  which  had  for  their  object  the  cutting  of 
the  Weldon  and  Lynchburg  Road.  This  road  was  the 
line  of  supply,  both  of  men  and  of  provisions,  for  Lee's 
army.  It  connected  Richmond  with  North  Carolina,  and 
was  also  a  line  of  retreat.  Hence  the  importance  of  con- 
trolling it.  Barlow's  division  had  the  left,  and  pushed 
to  within  two  miles  of  the  Weldon  Road,  skirmishing 
with  the  enemy's  cavalry.  He  was  relieved  by  the  Sixth 
Corps,  which,  on  the  night  of  the  21st,  took  up  the  line 
from  the  left  of  the  Second  Corps  to  the  Williams 
house. 

On  the  night  of  the  21st  General  Birney  was  ordered 
to  move  forward,  in  connection  with  the  Sixth  Corps,  to 
more  closely  envelope  the  enemy's  line.  The  left  being 
the  exposed  flank,  General  Birney  directed  that  it  should 
preserve  its  connection  with  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  make 
its  progress  correspond  with  General  Wright's  right. 
General  Meade,  becoming  impatient  at  the  delay  to  which 
this  methodical  arrangement  gave  rise,  ordered  each  corps 


THREATENING  THE  WELDON  ROAD.  227 

to  move  forward  independently  of  the  other.  The  enemy 
were  already  feeling  the  right  of  the  Sixth  Corps  line, 
and  as  Birney  swung  forward,  in  obedience  to  General 
Meade's  orders,  he  left  this  firing  to  his  rear  and  to  his 
left.  Barlow  was  on  that  flank,  and  had  a  lively  appre- 
ciation of  the  danger  attending  the  movement.  He 
therefore  moved  one  brigade  on  his  left  by  the  flank, 
ready  to  form  line  at  once,  should  his  left  be  threatened. 
There  was  no  trouble  until  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  22d,  when  Barlow's  left  was  thrown 
into  confusion  by  an  attack  of  the  enemy,  who  had  pene- 
trated through  the  gap  between  the  Second  and  Sixth 
Corps.  The  giving  way  of  his  left,  and  consequent  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy,  forced  Barlow's  whole  division  hastily 
back  to  its  original  position.  The  enemy  burst  upon  him 
just  as  his  line  was  reestablished,  but  was  met  so  vigor- 
ously by  Miles  that  the  attack  here  was  almost  imme- 
diately abandoned. 

The  enemy  now  pushed  down  the  line,  striking  the 
other  divisions  in  turn  as  their  left  flanks  were  exposed, 
and  attacking  also  in  front,  until  the  entire  line  had  been 
thrown  back  on  its  original  ground,  with  a  loss  of  several 
hundred  prisoners  and  four  guns — the  latter  belonging  to 
McKnight's  Pennsylvania  Battery,  on  Gibbon's  front. 
McKnight  made  a  brave  effort  to  save  his  guns,  and  to 
recapture  them,  but  the  enemy  succeeded  in  running  the 
guns  over  the  broken  parapet  and  drawing  them  off. 
The  recapture  of  these  guns  was  earnestly  desired,  none 
ever  having  been  lost  by  the  corps  up  to  that  time,  ex- 
cepting one  of  Arnold's  Battery  at  the  Po.  General 
Gibbon  offered  to  General  Pierce  (commanding  a  brigade 
in  the  Second  Division,  on  whose  line  the  guns  were 
taken)  all  the  assistance  he  might  require  ;  but  that  offi- 


228  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

cer  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  task  was  almost  hopeless, 
and  no  determined  effort  was  made. 

For  some  reason,  the  loss  of  brigade  and  regimental 
commanders  had  been  exceptionally  great  in  the  Second 
Corps,  and,  though  we  have  not  the  data  for  comparison, 
we  are  confident  that  no  other  corps  was  nearly  so  un- 
fortunate in  this  respect. 

General  Meade  issued  orders  for  Birney  and  Wright 
to  attack  at  half  past  three  on  the  morning  of  the  23d ; 
subsequently  changing  the  hour  to  seven  o'clock,  he  took 
post  at  the  Sixth  Corps  headquarters  in  the  morning. 
How  far  Wright  moved  we  have  never  learned,  but  Bar- 
low's skirmishers  were  advanced  far  enough  to  show  that 
the  enemy  was  behind  rifle-pits,  "  as  full  as  they  could  be 
got " ;  and  upon  hearing  this,  General  Meade  counter- 
manded the  order  for  the  attack. 

By  the  27th  General  Hancock,  though  still  suffering, 
was  so  far  recovered  as  to  permit  him  to  resume  com- 
mand. 

On  the  night  of  the  llth  of  July  the  Second  Corps 
vacated  its  breastworks,  and  massed  near  the  Williams 
house,  and  on  the  following  day  went  into  camp  in  rear 
of  the  Fifth  Corps,  General  Hancock  fixing  his  head- 
quarters in  the  yard  of  the  shot-riddled  building,  on  the 
Norfolk  road,  known  as  the  "  deserted  house." 

The  Sixth  Corps  had  been  sent  to  Washington  on  the 
9th,  to  meet  Early's  movements  in  that  direction.  The 
narrow  escape  of  Washington  on  this  occasion  deter- 
mined General  Grant  to  recommend  the  consolidation  of 
the  four  departments  near  Washington  into  one,  to  be 
commanded  by  an  officer  who  could  be  trusted  in  all 
emergencies.  The  concentration  of  troops  in  the  Yalley 
rendered  that  an  important  command,  and  as  it  was  under- 


BIRNEY  TAKES  COMMAND  OF  THE  TENTH  CORPS.    229 

stood  that  General  Meade  was  not  averse  to  a  more  inde- 
pendent command  than  that  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
it  was  contemplated  to  transfer  him  to  the  Shenandoah. 
General  Hancock  was  to  succeed  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  General  Gibbon  to  the  Second  Corps. 
Action  was  delayed  in  the  matter,  but  after  General 
Sheridan's  first  successes  the  project  was  renewed  (the 
President  giving  his  assent),  at  Hampton  Roads;  but 
when  the  time  had  arrived  to  put  the  intent  into  execu- 
tion, Mr.  Lincoln  thought  a  change  would  be  unwise, 
while  Sheridan  (who  had  just  won  a  battle)  was  doing 
"  so  well."  General  Hancock  did  not  take  any  part  in 
this  matter,  although  informed  of  it  by  General  Meade, 
nor  did  he  express  himself  upon  it. 

On  July  23d  General  Birney  gave  up  his  division 
(Third,  Second  Corps),  to  take  command  of  the  Tenth 
Army  Corps,  in  the  Army  of  the  James,  to  which  he 
had  been  assigned,  on  the  recommendation  of  Generals 
Meade  and  Hancock,  among  others.  He  had  rendered 
marked  service  during  the  campaign,  service  which  was 
generously  and  freely  recognized  by  General  Hancock. 
Birney  and  Mott  represented  the  remains  of  the  gallant 
old  Third  Corps,  which  had  won  such  distinction  under 
Heintzelman,  Hooker,  Phil  Kearney,  Sickles,  Berry,  and 
other  distinguished  commanders.  This  corps  deserves 
special  credit  for  its  conduct  at  Chancellorville  and  Get- 
tysburg. 

The  losses  of  the  Second  Corps  from  the  crossing  of 
the  James  until  July  26th  were  very  heavy,  as  will  be 
seen  from  the  following  table  taken  from  General  Han- 
cock's official  report :  * 

*  The  number,  being  more  than  six  thousand  men,  amounted  to  nearly 
one  fourth  the  entire  loss  of  the  corps  during  the  war. 


230 


LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 


COMMAND. 

KILLED. 

WOUNDED. 

MISSING. 

AGGREGATE. 

J>  , 

i1 

K 

Commanding 
Officers. 

P 

9 

11 

P 

Corps  Hdqrs  

i 
17 
12 
26 

3 
249 
161 
250 

63 
44 
73 

10 
1006 
805 
1256 

29 
32 
15 

3 

922 

907 
377 

17 
2276 
1961 
1997 

6251 

Art'y  Brigade  

1st  Division  

2d  Division                  . 

3d  Division  

Total*  

56 

663 

170 

3077 

76 

2209 

*  The  casualties  of  the  Eighth  Ohio  Volunteers  and  First  Delaware  Vol- 
unteers are  not  included  in  the  above  table. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Petersburg — The  Enemy's  Defenses — A  Siege  undertaken — Construction  of 
Earthworks — An  Unfortunate  Mining  Experiment — General  Hancock's 
Expedition  to  destroy  the  Railroads  north  of  Richmond — Combined 
Operations  of  Infantry  and  Cavalry  at  Deep  Bottom — Gallant  Charge 
of  Sheridan's  Cavalry — Hancock  returns  with  his  Command  to  Peters- 
burg. 

GENERAL  Lee's  lines  of  defense  had  been  strengthening 
every  day,  and  on  the  1st  of  July  were  deemed  impreg- 
nable, the  Union  engineers  declaring  that  to  take  them 
by  assault  was  utterly  impracticable.  A  chain  of  redans, 
infantry  curtains  of  bold  construction,  and  rifle-pits  swept 
clear  round  his  position,  while  every  approach  was  ob- 
structed by  abatis,  stakes,  and  other  obstacles.  Rich- 
mond was  similarly  defended. 

After  two  weeks  of  unavailing  effort  to  carry  the  de- 
fenses of  Petersburg  by  strategy  and  assault,  it  was  mani- 
fest that  they  could  only  be  reduced  by  regular  siege. 

A  vast  system  of  earthworks  was  constructed,  which 
by  the  end  of  July  were  in  condition  to  begin  operations 
against  the  enemy,  either  by  assault  or  by  flanking  the 
Confederate  lines.  Underground  approaches  to  the  lines 
of  the  enemy,  and  even  under  some  points  thereof,  were 
dug,  and  it  was  resolved  to  make  an  assault  in  front  of 
Burnside's  position,  parts  of  which  were  but  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  from  the  enemy's  front.  A  fort  of  the 
enemy  projected  beyond  his  average  front,  and  Burnside, 


232  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

on  his  own  responsibility,  had  run  an  underground  ap- 
proach, starting  from  a  ravine  out  of  sight  of  the  enemy, 
and  laid  a  mine  under  this  work.  It  was  intended  to  ex- 
plode this  mine,  then  open  artillery  fire,  and  make  an 
assault  upon  the  enemy  through  the  chasm  expected  to 
be  made  by  the  explosion.  The  mine  failed  to  explode 
the  first  time  it  was  fired.  Lieutenant  Jacob  Douty  and 
Sergeant  Henry  Kees,  of  the  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania, 
bravely  ventured  in  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  failure,  and, 
relighting  the  fuse,  the  mine  exploded,  tossing  the  fort 
and  its  garrison  of  300  men  into  the  air,  and  creating  a 
chasm  150  feet  long  by  60  wide  and  30  deep.  As  it  was 
Burnside's  mine,  and  in  front  of  his  position,  the  assault- 
ing column  was  taken  from  his  corps. 

Burnside  threw  forward  a  division  of  colored  troops, 
which  advanced  beyond  the  crater  made  by  the  explosion, 
charged,  and  was  driven  back  into  the  crater,  and  there 
all  were  huddled  together  in  confusion.  All  order  was 
lost,  and  personal  safety  became  the  only  impulse ;  the 
enemy  began  to  pour  in  upon  them  shot  and  shell ;  and 
that  hapless  chasm  became  an  appalling  slaughter-house. 

The  enemy  made  an  assault,  which,  in  sheer  despera- 
tion, was  repulsed,  and  then  thousands  began  to  dart  out 
of  this  slaughter-pen,  and  race  at  topmost  speed  into  their 
own  lines.  Our  loss  in  this  "  miserable  affair,"  as  Grant 
called  it,  was  4,400  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners ;  the 
enemy's  1,000,  including  the  300  blown  up  in  the  fort. 

These  operations  in  front  of  Petersburg  were  very 
wearing  to  the  men  of  the  army.  The  weather  was  in- 
tensely hot,  water  difficult  to  procure,  the  dust  was  almost 
insufferable,  especially  to  troops  in  motion,  and  the  labor 
of  mining  and  constructing  earthworks  was  overpowering. 
On  the  afternoon  of  July  26th  the  Second  Corps  marched 


MOVEMENTS  ON  DEEP  BOTTOM.  233 

toward  Deep  Bottom,  via  Point  of  Rocks  and  Bermuda 
Hundred,  in  obedience  to  orders  from  General  Grant. 
General  Hancock's  instructions  were  to  move  rapidly 
from  Deep  Bottom  to  Chapin's  Bluff,  and  to  take  and 
hold  a  position  which  would  prevent  the  enemy  from 
crossing  at  that  point ;  while  General  Sheridan,  with  his 
cavalry,  moved  to  the  Virginia  Central  Kailroad,  and  op- 
erated toward  Richmond.  Beyond  this,  General  Han- 
cock's movements  were  to  be  contingent  upon  General 
Sheridan's  success,  the  main  object  being  the  destruction 
of  the  railroads  north  of  Richmond,  with  the  hope  also  of 
taking  that  city. 

There  were  two  bridges  over  the  James  at  Deep  Bot- 
tom, the  bridge  heads  being  held  by  Foster's  brigade  of 
the  Tenth  Corps.  Naturally,  for  the  purposes  indicated, 
the  cavalry  would  cross  by  the  lower  bridge  and  the  in- 
fantry by  the  upper.  On  arriving  at  General  Foster's 
headquarters,  however,  General  Hancock  ascertained  that 
the  enemy  had  so  hemmed  in  Foster  at  the  upper  bridge, 
and  were  so  strongly  fortified,  that  it  was  doubtful  if 
an  advance  in  that  direction  would  be  successful.  After 
studying  the  situation,  and  obtaining  General  Meade's 
consent  to  the  change,  he  (General  Hancock)  determined 
to  throw  his  infantry  across  the  lower  bridge,  turn  the 
enemy's  flank,  while  General  Foster  threatened  the  posi- 
tion in  front,  and  let  the  cavalry  pass  out  in  that  direction. 
The  infantry  commenced  crossing  the  bridge,  which  was 
thickly  covered  with  hay  to  prevent  the  tread  of  the  men 
and  horses  being  heard  in  the  enemy's  lines,  between  2 
and  3  A.  M.  on  the  27th,  and  was  massed  behind  a  belt 
of  timber  on  the  north  bank  near  the  bridge  head.  The 
cavalry  followed  immediately.  Soon  after  daylight  Gen- 
eral Hancock  ordered  an  advance.  On  the  right  the 


234  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

skirmish  line  of  the  Third  Division,  consisting  of  the 
Ninety-ninth  and  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  was  thrown  out  toward  the  New  Market  and 
Malvern  Hill  road,  and,  having  become  briskly  engaged 
with  the  enemy,  it  was  found  necessary  to  reenf  orce  it  by 
the  Seventy-third  New  York  Volunteers.  In  the  center, 
Barlow's  skirmish  line  of  Miles's  brigade,  composed  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighty-third  Pennsylvania,  Twenty- 
eighth  Massachusetts,  and  Twenty-sixth  Michigan  Volun- 
teers, commanded  by  Colonel  Lynch,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-third  Pennsylvania,  and  accompanied  by  General 
Miles  in  person,  engaged  the  enemy.  Miles,  ever  on  the 
alert,  seized  the  opportunity  afforded  by  the  ground, 
which  partly  protected  and  concealed  his  advance,  and  by 
skillful  disposition  succeeded  in  throwing  his  skirmish 
line  upon  the  enemy's  rifle-pits,  which  were  weakly  held 
at  that  point,  drove  him  back,  and  captured  four  twenty- 
pounder  guns  with  their  caissons.  The  skirmishers  of 
General  Foster  had  joined  in  this  advance.  Gibbon's 
skirmishers  had  been  thrown  out  toward  Four  Mile  Run, 
and  as  the  enemy  fell  back  his  division  took  the  advance 
in  pursuit. 

A  battery,  which  opened  fire  on  our  right  opposite 
General  Mott,  was  speedily  driven  away  by  our  artillery 
and  Mott's  skirmishers,  and  retreated  by  a  cross  road  to 
the  New  Market  and  Long  Bridge  road. 

When  our  advance  arrived  at  Bailey's  Creek,  the 
enemy  was  found  posted  in  well-constructed  earthworks, 
with  abatis,  apparently  well  manned,  in  a  position  of 
unusual  natural  strength,  the  creek  itself  being  an  obsta- 
cle which  could  not  well  be  passed  by  a  line  of  battle, 
and  the  intervening  ground  being  perfectly  open  to  the 
enemy's  fire.  A  close  examination  established  the  fact 


OPERATIONS  OF  INFANTRY  AND  CAVALRY.          235 

that  the  chance  of  a  successful  assault  was  doubtful,  and 
an  attempt  was  made  to  turn  the  position. 

In  the  mean  time  the  cavalry  under  General  Sheridan 
moved  over  to  the  New  Market  and  Long  Bridge  road, 
in  the  direction  of  Malvern  Hill,  gaining,  by  spirited 
charges,  some  high  ground  on  our  right,  the  possession  of 
which,  it  was  hoped,  would  be  advantageous ;  but  it  did 
not  prove  so,  as  it  was  discovered  that  the  enemy's  flank 
was  sharply  refused  to  the  left  at  Flusser's  mill. 

While  Gibbon's  division  held  the  New  Market  and 
Malvern  Hill  road,  Mott's  and  Barlow's  divisions  were 
thrown  forward  to  the  New  Market  and  Long  Bridge 
road,  connecting  with  the  cavalry.  Barlow  made  a 
strong  reconnoissance  of  the  enemy's  line,  but  failed  in 
his  purpose  of  uncovering  his  flank. 

During  the  day  some  of  our  gunboats,  stationed  in 
the  James  River,  threw  their  immense  shot  and  shell 
over  our  lines  into  the  enemy's  intrenchments.  About 
3  P.  M.  General  Grant  visited  the  field,  but  General  Han- 
cock did  not  meet  him.  Having  examined  the  position, 
he  left  a  note  for  the  latter,  in  which  he  stated  that  he 
had  ridden  along  the  line  for  some  distance,  and  did  not 
see  that  much  was  likely  to  be  done,  but  still  desired  the 
cavalry  to  pass  out  if  possible,  his  intention  being  that  it 
should  raid  on  the  enemy's  communications.  His  infor- 
mation was  that  seven  brigades  of  infantry  and  a  small 
force  of  cavalry  were  opposed  to  General  Hancock  dur- 
ing the  night  of  the  27th. 

The  enemy  received  reinforcements  from  the  south 
side  of  the  river.  Birge's  brigade,  Tenth  Corps,  of  But- 
ler's Army,  about  twenty-six  hundred  men,  reported  to 
General  Hancock  early  on  the  morning  of  the  28th,  and 
relieved  Gibbon's  division  from  its  advanced  position  on 


236  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  New  Market  and  Malvern  Hill  road.  Gibbon  then 
massed  in  rear  of  our  line  of  battle,  in  reserve.  General 
Sheridan  was  placed  under  General  Hancock's  orders,  it 
having  been  decided  that  he  should  advance  up  the  Cen- 
tral or  Charles  City  road,  if  either  could  be  opened. 

About  10  A.  M.,  on  the  27th,  the  following  dispatch 
was  received  by  General  Hancock,  sent  by  General 
Meade : 

"  CITY  POINT,  9.10  P.  M.,  July  26th. 

"  The  position  now  occupied  by  Hancock  would  give 
Sheridan  no  protection  in  returning  by  the  way  of  Bot- 
tom's Bridge.  I  do  not  want  him  to  go,  unless  the 
enemy  is  driven  into  Chapin's  Bluff  or  back  to  the  city  ; 
otherwise,  he  would  be  compelled  to  return  north  of  the 
Chickahominy,  and  it  would  be  two  or  three  weeks  before 
his  cavalry  would  be  fit  for  other  service. 

"  I  do  not  want  Hancock  to  attack  intrenched  lines ; 
but  I  do  want  him  to  remain  another  day,  if  he  can,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  cavalry,  turn  the  enemy's  position 
and  drive  him  away.  It  looks  to  me  as  if  the  cavalry 
might  move  well  out  and  get  in  rear  of  the  enemy. 
(Signed)  "U.S.  GKANT, 

"  Lieutenant- General" 

The  enemy  had  been  discovered  moving  in  strong 
force  to  General  Hancock's  right  as  early  as  8  A.  M.,  and 
it  was  evident  that  he  was  assuming  the  offensive.  The 
fire  of  our  gunboats  was  directed  upon  the  enemy  by 
signals,  and  forced  him  to  change  his  route  of  march. 
About  10  A.  M.  the  enemy  advanced  against  our  cavalry, 
not  only  on  the  New  Market  and  Long  Bridge  road,  but 
also  on  the  Charles  City  road.  Gregg  was  forced  in  on 
the  latter,  with  the  loss  of  one  gun,  while  Torbert  was 


GALLANT   CHARGE  OF  SHERIDAN'S  CAVALRY.        237 

driven  back  on  the  cross  road,  connecting  the  roads 
leading  by  Baffin's  house,  and  the  led  horses  and  artil- 
lery of  the  cavalry  seemed  almost  in  the  grasp  of  the 
enemy,  when  General  Sheridan,  by  a  brilliant  charge  (his 
men  dismounted),  drove  him  back  in  confusion  for  over  a 
mile,  capturing  several  colors  and  about  two  hundred 
prisoners.  The  prisoners  belonged  to  Kershaw's  division 
of  infantry. 

Gibbon's  division  had  been  hurried  up  to  support 
General  Sheridan,  but  the  latter  had  disposed  of  the  mat- 
ter before  Gibbon's  arrival. 

Anticipating  now  a  more  determined  attack,  General 
Hancock  changed  the  disposition  of  the  troops,  taking  a 
position  along  the  New  Market  and  Malvern  Hill  road, 
and  posting  artillery  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  cutting 
him  off  from  the  river. 

General  Hancock  received  repeated  dispatches  inform- 
ing him  that  the  enemy  was  concentrating  against  him, 
but  no  further  demonstrations  were  made,  save  that  our 
cavalry  skirmishers  were  somewhat  pressed.  Generals 
Grant  and  Meade  visited  the  line  during  the  afternoon, 
and  instructed  General  Hancock  to  send  Mott's  division 
that  night  to  Petersburg,  with  instructions  to  report  to 
General  Ord,  to  relieve  the  Eighteenth  Corps  in  the  in- 
trenchments.  General  Hancock  continued  holding  his 
position  at  Deep  Bottom  with  the  remaining  divisions  of 
his  corps,  Birge's  brigade  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  and  the  cav- 
alry, until  the  night  of  the  29th,  when,  having  attracted  to 
his  front  a  large  portion  of  Lee's  army,  it  is  supposed  that 
General  Grant  concluded  it  to  be  a  favorable  time  to  as- 
sault the  enemy's  lines  at  Petersburg.  General  Hancock 
was  now  instructed  to  return  to  that  point  with  the  two 
divisions  of  his  corps ;  and,  accordingly,  soon  after  dark 


238  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

on  the  29th,  lie  withdrew  his  entire  command  from  Deep 
Bottom,  Birge's  brigade  returning  to  the  Tenth  Corps, 
and  General  Sheridan  crossing  the  Appomattox  at  Broad- 
way Landing,  to  carry  out  special  instructions  received  by 
him  from  Lieutenant-General  Grant.  Hancock  pushed 
on,  throughout  a  most  weary  and  trying  night-march  of 
upward  of  twenty  miles,  in  which  the  energies  of  the 
troops  were  taxed  almost  beyond  endurance,  to  the  posi- 
tion held  by  the  Ninth  and  Eighteenth  Corps  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  arriving  there  on  the  morning  of  the  30th,  in 
time  to  witness  the  explosion  of  the  "  mine." 

In  the  report  of  the  operations  at  Deep  Bottom  by 
General  Hancock,  Colonel' Biles,  Ninety-ninth  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers,  and  Colonel  Lynch,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  are  specially  men- 
tioned for  good  conduct. 

On  the  very  day  of  the  mine  explosion  General  Grant 
ordered  the  cavalry  and  a  corps  of  infantry  to  start  on  a 
new  expedition — a  raid  on  the  Weldon  Kailroad.  The 
Second  Corps  ("  Hancock's  cavalry,"  as  the  men  then 
styled  it)  was  the  one  designated.  There  was,  however, 
a  limit  to  the  endurance  of  both  men  and  horses,  and  it 
being  represented  by  General  Hancock  that  the  corps 
was  not  in  a  condition  to  move  at  once  on  such  service, 
and  Gregg  making  a  similar  representation  concerning  his 
horses,  the  expedition  was  temporarily  suspended. 


CHAPTEE  XXYI. 

Deep  Bottom  again — The  Corps  dispirited — Obstacles  to  the  Expedition — 
Spirited  Attack  by  Terry's  Division — Our  Troops  assaulted  in  Turn, 
and  driven  from  their  Works — General  Gregg's  Brilliant  Action  at 
Deep  Creek— Near  Approach  to  Richmond — A  Flag  of  Truce — Re- 
turn of  Hancock's  Command  to  Petersburg — Result  of  the  Expedition 
—Cutting  the  Weldon  Railroad — The  Second  Corps  in  the  Advance — 
Occupying  the  Old  Works  at  Ream's  Station — Approach  of  the  Enemy 
in  Force, 

THE  expedition  to  destroy  the  Weldon  Railroad,  to 
which  allusion  was  made  at  the  close  of  the  last  chapter, 
was  intrusted  by  General  Grant  to  other  hands  than 
was  at  first  designed,  and  was  eventually  carried  out  with 
success. 

The  Second  Corps  meanwhile  remained  at  its  camp 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  "  deserted  house,"  as  a  reserve 
in  connection  with  the  operations  against  Petersburg. 
During  this  time  and  until  the  12th  of  August  General 
Hancock  was  engaged  in  the  duty  of  presiding  over  the 
court  of  inquiry,  that  had  been  ordered  by  the  President 
to  investigate  the  mine  operation,  which  had  resulted  so 
unfortunately  for  the  Union  army. 

On  the  date  last  mentioned  the  corps  was  directed  to 
move  to  City  Point,  the  design  being  to  send  a  second 
expedition  to  Deep  Bottom,  with  the  view  of  diverting 
Lee's  attention  to  some  extent  from  Petersburg,  and  thus 
enabling  a  more  advantageous  prosecution  of  the  siege 
of  that  stronghold. 


240  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

The  Second  Corps  bivouacked  on  the  night  of  the 
12th  at  City  Point,  and  on  the  13th  the  embarkation 
commenced,  General  Hancock  proceeding  to  Deep  Bot- 
tom in  a  tug-boat,  accompanied  by  General  Ingalls,  Chief 
Quartermaster  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  arrange 
for  disembarking  the  troops.  The  fleet  which  conveyed 
this  expedition  consisted  of  sixteen  vessels,  ocean  and 
river  steamers,  some  of  them  drawing  thirteen  feet  of 
water.  A  good  deal  of  miscalculation  was  made  in  the 
planning  of  this  expedition,  and  it  failed  in  its  chief 
intention — that  of  effecting  a  surprise  of  the  enemy. 
General  Birney,  with  the  Tenth  Corps,  was  already  at 
Deep  Bottom,  where,  after  considerable  delay,  he  was 
joined  by  the  Second  Corps,  and  the  entire  force  immedi- 
ately went  into  action. 

On  the  16th  a  fierce  attack  was  made  by  General 
Birney,  General  Gregg  (D.  McM.),  as  a  diversion,  being 
ordered  to  push  up  the  Charles  City  road  with  his  cavalry 
and  Miles's  brigade. 

The  assault  was  made  by  Terry's  division,  led  with 
marked  gallantry  by  General  Terry  in  person,  on  a  point 
just  above  Flusser's  mills,  driving  the  enemy  out  of  his 
works,  and  capturing  three  colors  and  between  two  and 
three  hundred  prisoners.  An  attack  was  made  on  the 
enemy  on  Terry's  right  in  the  mean  time  by  Brigadier- 
General  Birney's  division  of  colored  troops  and  Craig's 
brigade  of  Mott's  division.  The  men  acquitted  themselves 
brilliantly,  Colonel  Craig  being  unfortunately  killed. 

At  this  point  heavy  reinforcements  joined  the  ene- 
my, who  assailed  us  in  turn,  dislodging  our  troops  from 
their  works.  Meanwhile,  Gregg  and  Miles  were  having  a 
lively  fight  on  the  Charles  City  road  at  Deep  Creek,  over 
which  stream  Gregg  charged  in  column  of  fours  through 


OUR  TROOPS  ASSAULTED  IN  TURN. 

a  ravine,  driving  the  enemy  in  all  directions,  and  pursuing 
him  at  a  gallop  for  a  mile  and  a  half.  Colonel  John 
Irvin  Gregg,  commanding  a  brigade  in  General  D.  Me. 
M.  Gregg's  division,  which  made  the  charge,  was  severe- 
ly wounded  in  this  affair.  An  important  incident  in  the 
occurrence  was  the  killing  of  General  John  R.  Cham- 
bliss,  the  officer  in  command  of  the  enemy's  forces.  He 
was  shot  through  the  body  while  endeavoring  to  recall 
his  men.  On  his  person  was  found  a  valuable  map  of 
Richmond  and  its  defenses.  His  body  was  sent  to  the 
rear  and  buried  within  our  lines. 

Gregg  and  Miles  now  pushed  on  rapidly  to  within 
about  six  miles  of  Richmond,  where  they  came  upon  in- 
trenchments,  and,  the  enemy  shortly  appearing  in  strength, 
they  were  forced  to  return  to  Deep  Creek. 

This  brought  the  movement  to  August  17th.  Con- 
tinuous skirmishing  occurred  on  the  following  day,  but  no 
heavy  fighting,  and  at  noon  of  that  day,  with  the  consent 
of  General  Grant,  a  flag  of  truce  in  the  hands  of  Major 
Mitchell,  of  General  Hancock's  staff,  was  sent  into  the 
enemy's  lines,  to  propose  a  cessation  of  hostilities.  Major 
Mitchell  succeeded  in  getting  his  flag  recognized,  and  a 
truce  was  arranged,  during  which  the  dead  of  both  sides 
were  removed  from  between  the  lines,  the  body  of 
General  Chambliss  being  exhumed  and  delivered  to  his 
people. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  General  Barlow  being 
obliged  to  relinquish  the  command  of  his  division  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health,  General  N".  A.  Miles  succeeded  him. 
In  the  afternoon  of  this  day  General  Birney  was  attacked 
by  the  enemy  in  force,  the  latter  being  handsomely  re- 
pulsed. In  the  mean  time  General  Hancock's  expedition- 
ary force  was  being  gradually  reduced,  orders  from  head- 
11 


242  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

quarters  requiring  him  to  send  portions  of  it  back  to 
Petersburg,  and  on  the  20th  he  was  ordered  to  withdraw 
his  command  from  Deep  Bottom,  and  return  by  Point  of 
Rocks  to  its  old  camps  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

The  casualties  in  the  Second  Corps  attending  this 
(second)  expedition  to  Deep  Bottom  amounted  in  the  ag- 
gregate to  nine  hundred  and  fifteen  killed  and  wounded. 
The  expedition  was  not  as  successful  as  had  been  hoped, 
but  it  caused  General  Lee  to  detach  in  the  direction  of  the 
north  side  of  the  James  a  considerable  force,  thus  weak- 
ening for  the  time  his  strength  at  Petersburg,  and  ena- 
bling General  Grant  to  extend  his  left  flank  toward  the 
Weldon  Railroad.  This  road,  as  already  stated,  was  an 
important  avenue  of  Lee's  communication  with  the  South, 
and  to  cut  it  was  General  Grant's  object.  The  expedi- 
tion for  this  latter  purpose  was  intrusted  to  the  charge  of 
General  Warren,  who  began  his  operations  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  18th  of  August,  while  General  Hancock  was 
yet  on  the  north  side  of  the  James. 

The  desired  object  was  handsomely  accomplished,  the 
Weldon  Road  being  captured  and  held  at  Ream's  Station, 
but  on  the  day  following  this  the  right  center  of  our  line 
was  suddenly  attacked  and  cut  by  a  powerful  column, 
but  rallied,  and  reinforcements  fortunately  coming  up  to 
General  "Warren's  aid,  the  position  was  regained  and  held, 
in  spite  of  two  other  attacks,  though  with  very  large  loss. 

Returning  to  the  lines  before  Petersburg  on  the 
morning  of  August  21st,  after  a  dreary  and  fatiguing 
night-march  over  terrible  roads,  General  Hancock's  men 
were  allowed  to  remain  in  camp  only  long  enough  to 
make  coffee.  The  First  and  Second  Divisions  were  then 
ordered  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Strong  house,  to  slash  timber 
and  complete  the  defensive  line.  Finally  this  command 


DESTROYING  THE  WELDON  ROAD.  243 

was  ordered  to  move  on  to  the  Gurley  house,  in  the  rear 
of  the  Fifth  Corps,  at  which  position  they  bivouacked  in 
the  mud,  General  Hancock  and  his  division  commanders 
sleeping  on  the  ground  in  the  midst  of  a  pouring  rain. 

The  next  morning  both  divisions  were  placed  on  fa- 
tigue duty,  repairing  the  roads.  The  First  Division  was 
now  set  to  work  completing  the  task  which  had  been 
begun  by  General  Warren  of  destroying  the  Weldon  Rail- 
road, and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  had  ac- 
complished this  as  far  as  Ream's  Station,  while  the  Second 
Division  followed  in  support.  Here  slight  intrench- 
ments  existed,  and  these  were  now  occupied  by  Miles's 
division.  They  were,  however,  badly  constructed,  both 
sides  being  exposed  to  an  enfilading  and  reverse  fire, 
while  the  salient  had  been  thrown  out  beyond  a  deep  cut 
in  the  railroad,  which  seemed  to  separate  that  part  of  the 
line  from  the  rest  by  an  almost  impassable  obstacle.  In 
these  imperfect  works,  as  it  turned  out,  the  two  smallest 
divisions  of  the  Second  Corps  (about  six  thousand  strong) 
aided  by  a  part  of  General  D.  McM.  Gregg's  cavalry,  dis- 
mounted, were  to  fight  one  of  the  sharpest  engagements 
of  the  war  against  a  force  exceeding  them  nearly  three 
times  in. numbers. 

At  about  half  past  ten  on  the  night  of  the  24th  of 
August,  General  Hancock  received  the  following  dis- 
patch : 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC, 

"  8  P.  M.,  August  24,  1864. 

"  MAJOR-GENERAL  HANCOCK,  Commanding  Second  Corps : 
"  Signal  officers  report  large  bodies  of  infantry  pass- 
ing south  from  their  intrenchments  by  the  Halifax  and 
Yaughan  roads.     They  are  probably  destined  to  operate 
against  General  Warren  or  yourself,  most  probably  against 


OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

your  operations.    The  Commanding  General  cautions  you 
to  look  out  for  them. 

(Signed)      "A.  A.  HUMPHREYS, 

"  Major-General,  Chief  of  Staff." 

To  this  dispatch  General  Hancock  replied,  requesting 
to  know,  if  possible,  the  number  of  the  enemy  seen 
marching,  and  the  time ;  stating  also,  that  if  the  enemy 
was  undertaking  an  operation  against  him,  he  did  not  de- 
sire to  separate  his  forces  so  far — referring  to  the  fact  of 
his  instructions  directing  him  to  destroy  the  railroad  as  far 
as  Rowanty  Creek,  eight  miles  beyond  Ream's  Station.* 

At  daylight  on  the  25th  General  Hancock  directed 
Gregg  to  make  a  reconnoissance  with  part  of  his  cavalry, 
to  ascertain  what  was  in  his  front.  Meanwhile  the  work 
of  tearing  up  the  railroads  was  suspended.  A  squadron 
of  cavalry,  sent  out  by  Gregg,  reported  on  their  return 
that  they  had  driven  in  the  enemy's  pickets  at  two 
points  on  the  Yaughan  road  without  developing  any  ap- 
parent increase  of  strength.  Accordingly  the  work  of 
tearing  up  the  railroad  was  pushed  on,  but  had  progressed 
but  little,  when  our  pickets  were  driven  in  by  a  sharp  at- 
tack by  the  enemy,  and  Gibbon's  division  was  withdrawn 
from  this  duty,  and  ordered  back  to  take  post  in  the  works, 
where  it  occupied  the  left  of  our  infantry  line.  Tele- 
graphic communication  having  been  opened  from  army 
headquarters  to  Ream's  Station,  dispatches  to  and  fro 
were  sent  by  these  means.  At  this  time,  however,  Gen- 
eral Meade  sent  a  dispatch  to  General  Hancock  by  one  of 
his  staff  officers,  announcing  that  he  had  ordered  Mott  to 

*  In  reply  to  this  dispatch,  General  Hancock  was  informed  that  the  num- 
ber of  the  enemy  seen  marching  out  of  their  intrenchments  was  estimated 
at  8,000  or  10,000 ;  the  time  of  leaving  their  works  about  sunset. 


AN  UNFORTUNATE  DIVERGENCE.  245 

send  all  bis  available  force  to  Ream's  Station,  and  to  take 
a  battery  with  him,  the  officer  in  command  to  report  to 
General  Hancock  on  his  arrival.  He  also  authorized 
General  Hancock  to  exercise  his  judgment  as  to  with- 
drawing his  command  and  assuming  position  on  the  left 
and  rear  of  Warren,  or  any  other  position  he  might  select. 
To  this  dispatch  General  Hancock  replied  that  he  was 
already  engaged  and  could  not  withdraw,  and  that  night 
could  only  tell  what  would  come  forth.  This  dispatch,  it 
will  be  seen,  was  sent  by  an  aid,  being  dated  at  1  p.  M., 
August  25th,  although  the  telegraph  line  had  been  opened 
and  used  by  General  Hancock  as  early  as  11.45  A.  M.  As 
late  as  2.40  p.  M.  General  Meade  sent  another  dispatch  to 
General  Hancock  by  a  messenger,  informing  the  latter 
that  he  had  ordered  Wilcox's  division  of  the  Ninth  Corps 
to  move  forward  to  Hancock's  support  by  the  Jerusalem 
plank  road,  and  remain  on  it  at  a  point  about  five  miles 
from  Ream's  Station  until  ordered  up  by  General  Han- 
cock. The  dispatch  closed  as  follows  : 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  give  the  enemy  a  good 
thrashing.     All  I  apprehend  is  his  being  able  to  interpose 
between  you  and  Warren.     You  must  look  out  for  this. 
(Signed)  "  GEO.  G.  MEADE." 

In  the  mean  time  Miles's  pickets,  on  the  Dinwiddie 
road,  near  Ream's  Station,  had  already  been  driven  in  by  a 
vigorous  attack  by  the  enemy  in  some  force. 

It  was  unfortunate  that  the  reinforcements  sent  by 
General  Meade  were  dispatched  by  way  of  the  Jerusalem 
plank  road,  about  ten  miles  around,  and  ordered  to  stop 
at  a  point  five  miles  distant  from  General  Hancock,  when 
the  open  road  along  the  railway,  a  distance  of  less  than 
three  miles,  was  available.  It  will  also  be  remembered 


24:6  HFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

that  General  Hancock,  with  6,000  infantry  and  2,000 
cavalry,  most  of  the  latter  on  picket  duty,  was  now  to 
confront  a  force  of  about  18,000  of  the  enemy's  infantry 
and  cavalry.* 

*Some  time  after  the  battle  of  Ream's  Station — after  the  war  had 
closed,  in  fact — General  Hancock  was  informed,  by  a  Confederate  officer 
who  had  the  best  means  of  knowing  the  facts,  that  their  force  consisted 
of  about  all  the  cavalry  they  had  in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 
and  all  they  could  draw  from  the  Valley,  commanded  by  General  Wade 
Hampton ;  also,  three  divisions  of  infantry  of  four  brigades  each  under 
Lieutenant-General  A.  P.  Hill,  who  commanded  all  of  their  forces  en- 
gaged. These  brigades  were  made  up  from  different  divisions  of  General 
Lee's  army  for  the  occasion,  and  consisted  of  all  the  troops  they  could  spare 
from  the  Petersburg  line. 


loaon  PETERSBURG 


oApprcxrnnate  position 
'-  of  Wacox' Division 


P:LA:N  or 
THE  POSITIONS 

at  ;  1 1  u  1  aiear 

REAMS  STATION, 

Aug,  25th,  1864. 


CHAPTEE  XXVII. 

Ream's  Station — General  Hancock's  Preparations  for  the  Fight — Attack  on 
the  Works — Capture  of  two  Union  Batteries  by  the  Enemy — Demoral- 
ization of  our  Men — Raw  Recruits,  Substitutes,  and  "  Three-months' " 
Men — General  Hancock's  Horse  shot  under  Him — Perilous  State  of 
Affairs — A  Battery  recaptured — The  Enemy  driven  back  by  Miles — 
Complete  Demoralization  of  Gibbon's  Division — Depression  of  General 
Hancock — Withdrawal  of  the  Union  Army. 

IN  answer  to  the  dispatch  from  General  Meade,  Gen- 
eral Hancock  replied  as  follows : 

"HEADQUARTERS,  SECOND  ARMY  CORPS, 

"August  25,  1864,  4.15  P.  M. 

"GENERAL  MEADE:  I  have  just  received  your  dis- 
patch by  Captain  Rosecrantz.  I  fear  it  will  be  too  late  to 
have  Wilcox  come  for  any  practical  purposes,  as  he  is  be- 
tween four  and  five  miles  off  now ;  still,  I  shall  order  up 
his  division.  Had  the  division  come  down  the  railroad, 
it  would  have  been  here  in  time.  I  desire  to  know,  as 
soon  as  possible,  whether  you  wish  me  to  retire  from  this 
station  to-night,  in  case  we  get  through  safe. 
(Signed)  «W.  S.  HANCOCK, 

"  Major- General" 

In  the  mean  time  General  Hancock  sent  a  staff  officer 
to  order  up  Wilcox's  division.  While  the  occurrences 
just  described  had  taken  place,  artillery  had  been  posted 
by  the  Confederate  General  Hill  to  attack  our  intrench- 


24:8  LIFE  OF  WINFiELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

ments  at  Ream's  Station  in  reverse,  and  a  heavy  fire  was 
opened  by  those  batteries.  After  about  fifteen  minutes 
of  artillery  fire,  the  enemy  assaulted  Miles's  lines,  where  a 
break  occurred,  this  point  being  held  by  three  New  York 
regiments,  largely  made  up  of  substitutes  and  new  re- 
cruits. 

In  describing  these  wrorks,  it  will  be  remembered, 
mention  was  made  of  the  salient  which  was  separated 
from  the  remainder  of  the  line  by  a  deep  cut  in  the  rail- 
road ;  in  this  salient  had  been  placed  Brown's  Rhode 
Island  Battery  and  Sleeper's  Massachusetts  Battery,  and, 
as  a  reserve,  a  small  brigade  of  the  Second  Division.  When 
the  break  in  our  lines  took  place,  the  two  batteries  men- 
tioned fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  after  having  been  gal- 
lantly served  until  the  last  moment.  Murphy's  brigade  of 
the  Second  Division  was  driven  out,  but  the  other  brigade 
(Rugg's)  was  captured  almost  en  masse.  Another  bat- 
tery (McKnight's),  stationed  to  the  right  and  rear  of  the 
break,  was  also  captured,  after  doing  good  execution.  The 
faulty  construction  of  this  part  of  the  line  exposed  Gib- 
bon's division  to  a  musketry  fire  in  reverse,  and,  though 
ordered  forward  to  retake  our  line,  at  the  first  fire  from 
the  enemy  our  men  retired  ingloriously  to  the  breast- 
works. 

General  Hancock's  horse  was  shot  under  him  here 
while  he  was  endeavoring  to  remedy  this  unfortunate 
state  of  affairs.  In  fact,  at  this  juncture,  only  the  most 
extraordinary  efforts  on  the  part  of  General  Hancock,  as- 
sisted by  Generals  D.  McM.  Gregg  and  Miles,  prevented 
the  disaster  from  assuming  the  most  serious  proportions. 
Miles  rallied  a  portion  of  his  own  regiment,  the  Sixty-first 
Volunteers,  and  succeeded  in  recapturing  McKnight's 
battery  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  line,  his  small 


DEPRESSION  OF  GENERAL  HANCOCK.  249 

attacking  force  being  reorganized,  as  it  became  dissipated, 
by  parties  collected  by  Generals  Hancock  and  Miles  and 
their  staff  officers.  General  Hancock  is  described  as  hav- 
ing exposed  himself  much  more  than  the  humblest  soldier 
in  his  command,  in  his  efforts  to  restore  the  fortunes  of 
the  day  ;  not  only  was  his  horse  shot  under  him,  but  an- 
other ball  cut  his  bridle  rein  in  two,  and  his  corps  flag, 
which  always  followed  him  closely,  was  pierced  by  five 
balls,  while  another  struck  the  staff.  One  of  his  staff 
officers,  Captain  Brownson,  Commissary  of  Musters,  here- 
tofore creditably  mentioned,  was  now  mortally  wounded 
while  conducting  some  men  he  had  rallied  to  the  front. 
He  was  a  brave  and  valuable  young  officer.  This  at- 
tack, which  threatened  to  cut  the  road  in  rear  of  Miles's 
position,  was  checked  by  a  heavy  flank  fire  from  Gregg's 
cavalry  on  our  extreme  left,  enabling  Gibbon  to  reestab- 
lish his  line  in  time  to  cover  the  endangered  road. 

The  conspicuous  services  which  were  rendered  by 
General  D.  McM.  Gregg  with  his  command  and  one  reg- 
iment of  Spear's  cavalry,  during  this  day  and  particularly 
at  this  point,  can  not  be  overestimated.  He  checked 
the  pursuit  of  Gibbon's  men,  and  saved  that  portion  of 
our  line  from  an  overwhelming  disaster. 

A  new  line  was  at  length  established,  and  General 
Hancock  confined  his  further  efforts  to  holding  this  posi- 
tion. General  Wilcox  had  not  come  up,  and  it  was  de- 
cided not  to  resume  the  offensive. 

This  was  the  first  occasion  during  the  war  when  Gen- 
eral Hancock  experienced  the  bitterness  of  defeat.  Never 
before  had  he  seen  his  corps  fail  to  respond  to  the  ut- 
most when  he  had  called  upon  them  personally  for  a  su- 
preme effort.  He  could  no  longer  conceal  from  himself 
that  his  once  mighty  corps  retained  but  the  shadow  of  its 


250  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

former  strength  and  vigor.  Struck  to  the  heart  by  these 
new  impressions,  he  rode  up  to  one  of  his  staff,  covered 
with  dust  and  begrimed  with  powder  and  smoke,  and 
placing  his  hand  on  the  officer's  shoulder  said,  "  Colonel, 
I  don't  care  to  die,  but  I  pray  to  God  I  may  never  leave 
this  field." 

Darkness  was  now  fast  closing  in.  Still  no  reenforce- 
ments  had  arrived,  and  as  the  position  was  untenable,  un- 
less the  works  could  be  retaken,  General  Hancock  gave 
orders  for  withdrawal  from  the  field.  Previous  to  this, 
however,  he  sent  for  his  three  division  commanders,  and 
asked  each  one  if  he  could  retake  the  lines  he  had  lost. 
Miles  replied  he  could,  that  he  had  already  retaken  a 
part ;  Gregg  said  he  could  retake  his  without  difficulty, 
as  it  was  a  mere  cover  to  General  Gibbon's  flank ;  but 
General  Gibbon  stated  that  his  division  was  so  shattered 
and  dispersed  that  he  could  not  retake  his  line.  General 
Hancock  then  directed  that  as  soon  as  it  was  dark  the 
withdrawal  should  commence,  and  this  was  successfully 
accomplished.  General  Hancock  sent  his  adjutant-gen- 
eral, General  Francis  A.  Walker,  to  convey  orders  to  the 
troops,  but  General  Walker  rode  into  the  enemy's  lines 
and  was  captured.  It  was  learned  from  him  after  his 
release  that  the  enemy  left  the  field  at  the  same  time  with 
our  force,  fell  back  six  miles,  and  encamped. 

The  losses  of  the  two  divisions  of  the  Second  Corps 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Beam's  Station  amounted  in  the 
aggregate  to  2,198  killed  and  wounded,  about  equally  di- 
vided between  Gibbon's  and  Miles's  divisions. 

The  following  dispatch  is  pertinent  at  this  point : 

"  HEADQUARTERS  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC, 

"August  25th,  1864, 11  P.M. 

"  DEAR   GENERAL  :    No  one  sympathizes  with   you 


WITHDRAWAL  OF  THE  UNION  ARMY.  251 

more  than  I  do  in  the  misfortunes  of  this  evening. 
McEntee  gave  me  such  a  good  account  of  affairs  up  to 
the  time  he  left,  and  it  was  then  so  late,  I  deferred  going 
to  you  as  I  had  intended.  If  I  had  had  any  doubt  of  your 
ability  to  hold  your  lines  from  a  direct  attack,  I  would 
have  sent  Wilcox  with  others  down  the  railroad ;  but  my 
anxiety  was  about  your  rear,  and  my  apprehensions  were 
that  they  would  either  move  around  your  left  or  inter- 
pose between  you  and  Warren.  To  meet  the  first  contin- 
gency I  sent  Wilcox  down  the  plank  road ;  for  the  second, 
I  held  Crawford  and  White.  I  thought  it  likely,  not 
trying  you,  they  might  attack  Warren,  and  wished  to 
leave  him  until  the  last  moment  some  reserves.  I  am 
satisfied  you  and  your  command  have  done  all  in  your 
power,  and,  though  you  have  met  with  a  reverse,  the 
honor  and  escutcheon  of  the  Old  Second  are  as  bright 
as  ever,  and  will  on  some  future  occasion  prove  that  it  is 
only  when  enormous  odds  are  brought  against  them  that 
they  can  be  swerved.  Don't  let  this  matter  worry  you, 
because  you  have  given  me  every  satisfaction. 

"  Truly  yours,  GEORGE  G.  MEADE, 

(Signed)  "  Major-  General  Commanding. 

"  To  MAJOR-GENERAL  HANCOCK,  Commanding  Second  Corps." 

It  is  no  small  proof  of  General  Hancock's  military 
skill  that  he  was  able  to  extricate  himself  from  a  position 
in  which  destruction  seemed  almost  inevitable,  and  not 
only  this,  but  that  he  should  have  inflicted  such  punish- 
ment upon  the  overwhelming  forces  of  his  adversary  as 
to  make  it  almost  a  drawn  battle,  which  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  the  enemy  left  the  field  immediately  after  the 
Union  forces  retired. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Battle  of  Boydton  Road — Hampton's  "Beef"  Raid — Movement  on  the 
South  Side  Railroad — General  Grant's  Orders — Grant  and  Meade  on 
the  Field — The  Enemy  open  Fire — Sharp  Artillery  Practice — Attack  by 
the  Enemy  in  Force — Repulse  of  Pierce's  Brigade — A  Dangerous  Situ- 
ation— Masterly  Movement  by  General  Hancock — Brilliant  Defeat  of 
the  Enemy — Savage  Flank  Attack  by  Wade  Hampton's  Cavalry — No 
Reinforcements — Short  of  Ammunition — General  Hancock's  Embar- 
rassing Situation — He  concludes  to  withdraw — General  Hancock's  Re- 
port—Return to  Petersburg. 

ON  the  day  after  the  battle  of  Ream's  Station,  one  of 
the  two  divisions  engaged  in  that  fight  was  massed  near 
the  Jones  house,  and  the  other  at  the  Avery  house. 
Mott's  division  still  remained  in  the  intrenchments  be- 
fore Petersburg.  Everything  continued  quiet  up  to  the 
beginning  of  September,  excepting  such  skirmishing  as 
happened  along  the  picket  lines  of  the  two  armies,  and  in 
which  but  little  advantage  remained  to  either  side. 

On  the  16th  of  September  occurred  the  famous  raid 
of  Hampton's  cavalry  to  our  rear  at  Coggin's  Point,  re- 
sulting in  the  capture  of  the  beef  herd  of  our  army,  con- 
sisting of  2,500  cattle.  For  days  afterward  the  enemy's 
pickets  were  very  facetious  on  the  subject  of  beef,  as,  in- 
deed, they  had  a  right  to  be. 

On  the  night  of  September  24th  the  First  and  Second 
Divisions,  Second  Corps,  relieved  the  Tenth  Corps  in  the 
intrenchments  from  the  right  of  Mott's  division  to  the 


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REFERENCE 
=]»»   U.8.FOPCES 
^Z3  •  ••REBEL  FORCES 


PLAN— BATTLE    OF    BOYDTON    ROAD. 


MOVEMENT  ON  THE  SOUTH  SIDE  RAILROAD.         253 

Appomattox,  and  on  the  night  of  the  30th  of  September 
the  latter  division  was  drawn  out  of  the  works,  leaving 
the  First  and  Second  Divisions  to  cover  the  entire  space 
of  over  three  miles  from  beyond  the  plank  road  to  the 
river. 

~No  operations  of  importance  occurred  until  the  21st 
of  October,  when  General  Hancock  was  informed  that 
Lieutenant-General  Grant  desired  a  formidable  movement 
made  with  a  view  of  seizing  and  holding  the  South  Side 
Railroad. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  the  Second  and  Third 
Divisions  were  massed  ready  to  move,  General  Egan  being 
in  command  of  the  Second  Division,  and  General  Smythe 
of  his  brigade.  In  order  that  the  nature  of  the  movement 
proposed  by  the  Lieutenant-General  may  be  clearly  under- 
stood, so  much  of  the  order  as  elucidates  this  is  here 
given : 

"  On  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  inst.  (Wednesday), 
Major-General  Hancock,  commanding  Second  Corps,  will 
move  the  divisions  of  his  corps,  now  in  reserve,  to  the 
Yaughan  road  just  outside  the  line  of  rear  intrenchments. 
They  will  take  routes  well  to  the  rear,  so  as  to  avoid  the 
observation  of  the  enemy,  and  every  precaution  will  be 
taken  during  the  night  to  conceal  the  movement.  At  2 
p.  M.  of  the  27th  General  Hancock  will  move  by  the 
Vaughan  road  across  Hatcher's  Run,  pass  by  Dabney's 
mills,  and  "Wilson  &  Arnold's  steam  saw-mill,  on  the 
Boydton  plank  road,  across  the  open  country  to  the  Clai- 
borne  road,  near  its  intersection  with  the  White  Oak 
road,  and,  recrossing  Hatcher's  Run  near  the  Claiborne 
road  bridge,  will  take  the  road  running  northeast  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  bridge  to  the  South  Side  Railroad,  and  en- 
deavor to  seize  a  commanding  position.  General  Gregg's 


254:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

cavalry  will  form  a  part  of  General  Hancock's  command, 
and  will  move  on  his  left.  General  Hancock  will  proba- 
bly be  able  to  reach  the  Boydton  plank  road  by  the  time 
General  Parke  attacks  the  enemy's  right  between  Clay- 
pole's  and  Hatcher's  Run. 

"  General  Gregg  will  concentrate  his  cavalry  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  26th  inst.  (Wednesday)  at  some  point  to- 
ward the  left,  convenient  for  crossing  Hatcher's  Run  by 
the  first  route  below  that  used  by  Hancock's  infantry,  and 
which  shall  not  disclose  the  movement  to  the  observation  of 
the  enemy.  Every  precaution  will  be  taken  to  conceal 
the  movement.  His  pickets  from  the  vicinity  of  the 
plank  road  westward  will  be  relieved  in  time  to  accom- 
pany him  on  the  morning  of  the  27th.  Upon  concentrat- 
ing his  command,  he  will  report  to  Major-General  Han- 
cock. 

"  General  Gregg  will  move  on  the  morning  of  the 
27th,  not  later  than  two  o'clock,  across  Hatcher's  Run  below 
the  Second  Corps,  and  move  on  the  left  of  the  infantry, 
probably  using  the  Quaker  road  as  far  as  the  Boydton 
plank.  His  route  must  be  governed  by  that  of  the  Sec- 
ond Corps. 

"Major-General  Parke,  commanding  Ninth  Corps, 
will  move  at  such  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  as 
will  enable  him  to  take  the  right  of  the  enemy's  infantry, 
between  Hatcher's  Run  and  their  new  works  at  Hawke's 
and  Dabney's,  at  the  dawn  of  day.  It  is  probable  that 
the  enemy's  line  of  intrenchments  is  incomplete  at  that 
point,  and  the  Commanding  General  expects,  by  a  secret 
and  sudden  movement,  to  surprise  them  and  carry  their 
half-formed  works.  General  Parke  will  therefore  move 
and  attack  vigorously  at  the  time  named,  not  later  than 
half  past  five,  and,  if  successful,  will  follow  up  the  enemy 


GENERAL  GRANT'S  ORDERS.  255 

closely,  turning  toward  the  right.  Should  he  not  break 
the  enemy's  line,  General  Parke  will  remain  confronting 
them  until  the  operations  on  the  left  draw  off  the  enemy. 

"  Major-General  Warren,  commanding  Fifth  Corps, 
will,  if  practicable,  move  simultaneously  with  the  Ninth 
Corps,  and  proceed  to  the  crossing  of  Hatcher's  Kun  below 
the  plank  road  bridge,  from  which  point  he  will  support 
the  Ninth  Corps,  and,  if  the  attack  is  successful,  follow  up 
the  enemy  on  the  right  of  the  Ninth  Corps. 

"  Should  General  Parke  fail  to  break  the  enemy's  line, 
General  Warren  will  cross  Hatcher's  Run  and  endeavor 
to  turn  the  enemy's  right  by  recrossing  at  the  first  prac- 
ticable point  above  the  Boydton  plank  road,  keeping  on 
the  right  of  Hancock.  He  will  then  turn  toward  the 
plank  road  and  open  the  plank  road  bridge." 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  the  two  divisions,  Mott's 
and  Egan's,  numbering  between  6,000  and  7,000  men, 
moved  out  along  the  line  of  intrenchments  to  the  Weldon 
Railroad,  bivouacking  near  Fort  Du  Chesne.  The  enemy's 
videttes  were  encountered  on  the  Yaughan  road,  but  did 
not  contest  our  advance.  Egan  advanced  so  energeti- 
cally that  by  daylight  he  was  ready  to  attempt  the  cross- 
ing of  Hatcher's  Run.  Smythe's  brigade  was  deployed, 
and  advanced  in  fine  style,  carrying  the  works  at  a  run. 

As  soon  as  Egan's  division  had  crossed  the  stream,  he 
pushed  forward  to  Dabney's  mill.  Mott  followed  the 
Yaughan  road  for  a  mile  or  so,  and  then  marched  by  a 
cross  road  to  Dabney's  mill.  Gregg  had  crossed  Hatch- 
er's Run  without  difficulty,  and  the  sound  of  his  guns 
was  now  heard  on  the  left,  growing  more  and  more  dis- 
tinct. The  infantry  now  pushed  rapidly  on  toward  the 
Boydton  road,  arriving  in  sight  of  it  just  as  the  rear 
of  the  enemy's  wagon  train  was  crossing  the  bridge  over 


256  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

Hatcher's  Run  at  Burgess's  mill.  The  enemy  at  once 
opened  fire  upon  Hancock's  column  with  a  section  of 
artillery  from  the  hill,  on  the  south  side  of  the  run,  near 
Burgess's  tavern.  Their  fire  was  speedily  silenced,  how- 
ever, by  Beck's  battery.  General  Hancock  did  not  con- 
sider it  prudent  to  continue  his  march  to  the  White 
Oak  road  while  any  of  the  enemy  remained  south  of  the 
run,  and  therefore  ordered  Egan  to  move  toward  the 
bridge  and  drive  them  over  it.  Gregg  was  now  coming 
up  by  the  Quaker  road,  and  one  of  his  brigades  was 
sent  forward  to  relieve  Egan,  while  Mott  was  directed  to 
advance  toward  White  Oak  road  bridge. 

Before  his  column  was  well  under  way,  however, 
General  Hancock  received  an  order  from  General  Meade 
in  person  to  halt  at  the  plank  road,  Generals  Grant  and 
Meade  having  then  arrived  upon  the  field.  The  latter 
informed  General  Hancock  that  Crawford's  division, 
Fifth  Corps,  was  working  its  way  up  the  run,  and  re- 
quested General  Hancock  to  extend  his  line  to  the  right, 
in  order  to  make  the  desired  connection  with  Crawford's 
troops.  The  change  of  orders  was  owing  to  the  Fifth 
and  Ninth  Corps  not  having  broken  through  the  enemy's 
lines,  as  originally  designed  in  the  programme  laid  out 
for  the  movement.  General  Grant  determined  to  end 
this  operation  there. 

Accordingly  two  brigades  of  Egan's  division  were  de- 
ployed on  the  right  of  the  plank  road,  the  line  after- 
ward extending  further  to  the  right  by  the  deployment 
of  two  regiments,  but  without  meeting  Crawford's  troops, 
which  were  afterward  discovered  to  be  about  three 
fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  extreme  right  of  Hancock's 
line.  Meanwhile  the  enemy  was  showing  considerable 
activity  in  the  front  and  on  the  left.  Egan  drove  their 


THE  ENEMY   OPEN  FIRE.  257 

dismounted  cavalry  across  the  run  by  a  charge  of  Smythe's 
brigade,  which  was  very  handsomely  made,  capturing  one 
gun.  Yery  soon  afterward  a  vigorous  artillery  fire  was 
opened  upon  Egan  from  the  heights  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  run  and  an  enfilading  fire  from  a  battery  on  his  left, 
which  had  crossed  the  stream  at  the  White  Oak  bridge. 
It  was  impracticable  to  capture  or  drive  off  the  enemy, 
but  Beck,  with  four  of  his  guns,  maintained  an  unequal 
contest  with  it  most  gallantly,  until  relieved  by  Granger's 
Tenth  Massachusetts  Battery. 

As  soon  as  General  Hancock  had  learned  the  location 
of  Crawford's  division,  Generals  Grant  and  Meade  left 
the  field,  the  latter  expressing  a  desire  that  General  Han- 
cock should  hold  his  position  until  the  following  morn- 
ing, when  he  was  to  retire  by  the  same  road  on  which  he 
had  come. 

Sharp  firing  on  the  right,  opposite  Pierce's  brigade, 
now  excited  General  Hancock's  apprehension,  and,  two 
regiments  having  been  sent  into  the  woods  to  ascertain 
the  cause,  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  was  discovered.  It 
had  been  sent  by  Lee,  under  the  immediate  command 
of  General  Heth,  to  meet  General  Hancock's  column, 
which  was  threatening  his  communication.  A  part  of  this 
force  had  crossed  the  run  between  Crawford  and  Han- 
cock, and  marched  by  a  wood  road  through  a  dense  forest 
toward  the  Boydton  plank  road.  Pierce's  two  regiments 
were  at  once  overrun  by  numbers,  and  fell  back  in  con- 
fusion upon  the  remainder  of  the  brigade,  closely  fol- 
lowed by  the  enemy,  whose  force  consisted  of  three 
brigades.  The  result  of  this  was  that  the  brigade  was 
obliged  to  fall  back  to  the  plank  road  before  it  could  re- 
form. This  movement  of  the  enemy  brought  them  in 
close  view  of  the  clearing  in  the  angle  between  the  plank 


258  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

road  and  the  line  of  march  of  the  Second  Corps,  which 
was  filled  with  ambulances,  led  horses,  artillery,  and  all 
the  impedimenta  generally  found  in  the  rear  of  an  army, 
promising  an  easy  and  valuable  capture.  Fortunately  De 
Trobriand's  brigade  of  Mott's  division  was  so  placed  as  to 
be  able  to  open  fire  upon  the  enemy  immediately,  and 
Koder's  battery  extricated  itself  from  the  mass  of  ambu- 
lances, wagons,  loose  horses,  etc.,  came  into  battery,  and 
opened  fire.  Smith's  brigade  of  Gregg's  cavalry  was  dis- 
mounted, and  moved  up  to  aid  De  Trobriand.  Kerwin's 
brigade,  also  dismounted,  came  into  line  on  the  left.  In 
the  mean  time,  however,  the  enemy  found  themselves 
suddenly  attacked  in  the  rear,  the  result  of  a  masterly 
movement  under  direct  orders  of  General  Hancock.  At 
the  first  sound  of  the  enemy's  attack  on  Pierce,  he  had 
sent  his  aide-de-camp,  Major  Mitchell,  to  General  Egan, 
to  direct  him  to  abandon  the  assault  against  the  heights 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  stream,  and  to  face  about  and 
assail  the  enemy  with  his  whole  force.  When  Major 
Mitchell  reached  General  Egan,  he  found  that  that  officer 
was  already  in  motion  to  attack  the  force  of  the  enemy  in 
his  rear.  The  latter,  being  entirely  oblivious  of  the  pres- 
ence of  Egan's  troops,  were  struck  with  amazement  when 
he  swept  down  upon  their  flank  with  Smythe's  and  Wil- 
lett's  brigades  of  his  own  division,  and  McAllister's  bri- 
gade of  Mott's  division.  The  attack  was  made  with  such 
irresistible  force  that  the  enemy  were  driven  in  great 
confusion  from  the  field,  leaving  two  colors  and  nearly 
one  thousand  prisoners,  besides  the  guns  which  had  been 
lost  at  the  first  advance  upon  Pierce.  When  Major  Mit- 
chell attempted  to  return  to  General  Hancock  after  hav- 
ing delivered  his  message  to  General  Egan,  he  found  the 
enemy  in  possession  of  the  Boydton  plank  road,  where- 


FLANK  ATTACK  BY  HAMPTON'S  CAVALRY.          259 

upon,  procuring  tlie  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin  Volunteers 
from  Rugg's  brigade  of  the  Second  Division,  Major 
Mitchell  advanced  against  the  enemy,  and  drove  them 
from  the  road,  capturing  about  two  hundred  prisoners 
and  one  color. 

General  Egan's  attack  was  followed  up  immediately 
by  General  Hancock  with  De  Trobriand's  brigade  of 
Mott's  division  and  Kerwin's  brigade  of  dismounted  cav- 
alry, thus  placing  the  enemy  between  two  fires  and  add- 
ing to  his  confusion  and  loss. 

In  the  mean  time,  and  nearly  simultaneously  with  the 
enemy's  attack  on  Pierce,  they  commenced  pressing  heav- 
ily against  our  left,  where  Mott's  skirmishers  became 
sharply  engaged,  and  a  number  of  men  and  several  valua- 
ble officers  were  lost.  Indeed,  hardly  had  Egan  succeeded 
in  his  attack,  when  General  Hancock  was  obliged  to  send 
all  of  the  dismounted  cavalry  back  to  General  Gregg,  who 
was  attacked  by  five  brigades  of  cavalry  under  General 
Wade  Hampton.  Gregg  met  his  attack  with  great  reso- 
lution, and  succeeded  in  repelling  Hampton,  although  he 
did  not  effect  this  until  after  dark. 

One  of  Gregg's  regiments,  the  First  Maine  Cavalry, 
was  under  orders  to  proceed  home  to  be  mustered  out  of 
service,  but  went  into  action  voluntarily  and  participated 
in  Hampton's  repulse. 

By  this  time  the  situation  was  rather  mixed.  The 
enemy  were  in  force  in  our  front,  and  their  artillery  was 
firing  upon  us  from  three  directions — in  fact,  from  all  di- 
rections, excepting  the  narrow  road  on  which  the  corps 
had  marched  from  Dabney's  mill  and  the  Quaker  road, 
and  Hampton  had  pushed  so  far  up  the  plank  road  in  our 
rear  that  his  shot  passed  entirely  over  Gregg's  line  and 
into  our  front  line  of  infantry,  which  was  engaged  in  an 


260  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

opposite  direction.  Renewed  efforts  were  made  at  this 
time  to  reach  Crawford's  right,  by  extending  our  skirmish 
line,  but  without  success.  Captain  Harry  Bingham,  sent 
to  communicate  with  General  Warren  or  Crawford,  was 
captured  by  the  enemy,  and  as,  strange  to  say,  the  fire  at 
Boydton  road  was  not  heard  by  General  Warren,  owing 
to  the  dense  wood  intervening  and  the  skirmishing  on  his 
own  front,  the  chance  for  reinforcement  was  slim. 

General  Hancock  was  now  informed  by  dispatch  from 
General  Meade  that  the  signal  officer  reported  the  enemy 
concentrating  against  him,  but  that  his  orders  to  remain 
until  the  following  morning  were  unchanged.  General 
Meade,  of  course,  did  not  then  know  of  the  battle  which 
had  taken  place  as  soon  as  he  left  the  field.  This  ques- 
tion, whether  to  remain  upon  the  field  until  morning  or 
withdraw  during  the  night,  now  appealed  to  General 
Hancock's  judgment  and  soldierly  instinct  with  great 
force.  One  element  which  entered  materially  into  this 
question  was  the  fact  that  Hancock  had  moved  in  the 
morning  by  order  without  his  reserve  ammunition,  which 
had  been  directed  by  General  Meade  to  be  placed  on  pack 
mules,  and  to  await  the  movements  of  the  Ninth  and  Fifth 
Corps,  and  then  to  be  sent  to  General  Hancock  at  the  South 
Side  Railroad.  The  conflict  of  the  day  had  so  drained  the 
quantity  of  ammunition  on  hand  as  to  seriously  cripple 
the  troops,  this  being  particularly  the  case  with  the  cavalry 
and  artillery.  The  only  connection  with  the  main  body  of 
the  army  was  by  a  narrow  wood  road  to  Dabney's  mill, 
and  this  was  not  only  seriously  threatened  by  the  enemy, 
but  the  rain  was  rapidly  rendering  it  almost  impassable, 
so  that  already  it  became  a  question  of  doubt  whether  the 
ammunition,  which  was  thirteen  miles  in  the  rear,  could 
be  brought  up  and  issued  in  time  for  a  fight  in  the  morning. 


HANCOCK   CONCLUDES  TO  WITHDRAW.  261 

General  Meade  now  sent  a  dispatch  to  General  Han- 
cock, authorizing  him  to  withdraw  during  the  night,  if  he 
thought  proper  to  do  so,  and  informed  him  that  Ayres's 
division  of  the  Fifth  Corps  had  been  sent  to  his  support, 
and  was  halted  for  the  night  at  Armstrong's  mill ;  also 
that,  if  he  (General  Hancock)  could  attack  successfully  in 
the  morning,  with  the  assistance  of  Ayres's  and  Crawford's 
divisions,  he  desired  him  to  do  so.  Of  course  these  in- 
structions only  served  to  add  to  General  Hancock's  em- 
barrassment, and  to  render  him  more  reluctant  to  abandon 
his  position ;  but,  the  responsibility  being  put  upon  him, 
and  the  doubtful  question  as  to  the  ammunition  having 
to  be  taken  into  consideration,  he  determined  at  last  upon 
withdrawal.  General  Meade,  at  a  late  hour  of  the  night, 
sent  word  to  General  Hancock  that  he  concurred  in  this 
conclusion. 

General  Hancock  had  at  this  time  under  his  command 
the  entire  cavalry  force  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  (Gen- 
eral Sheridan  had  two  thirds  of  the  cavalry  originally  be- 
longing to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  with  him  in  the 
Shenandoah  Yalley),  and  he  considered  the  risk  of  sacri- 
ficing this  body  on  the  following  morning  (for  want  of 
ammunition)  too  great  to  be  assumed,  when  such  a  disaster 
could  be  avoided  by  quitting  the  field  that  night. 

It  is  proper  to  state  here  that  General  Hancock's  ad- 
vance at  Boydton  road  was  within  three  and  a  half  miles 
of  the  bridge  on  the  South  Side  Eailroad,  which  point 
could  readily  have  been  seized  by  Hancock's  troops,  but 
for  the  orders  which  he  had  received  to  suspend  the 
movement.  The  battle  of  Boydton  road  occurred  after 
General  Hancock  would  have  had  ample  time  to  have 
reached  the  South  Side  Eoad,  had  he  not  been  halted  to 
fight  it  when  he  was ;  as  matters  turned  out,  he  probably 


262  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

would  have  been  overwhelmed,  had  he  proceeded  to  the 
railroad,  for  the  enemy,  not  being  occupied  by  an  attack 
of  the  Fifth  and  Ninth  Corps,  would  have  been  free  to 
have  concentrated  all  their  strength  against  him. 

General  Hancock  having  decided  to  withdraw  from 
the  field,  no  time  was  lost  in  insuring  the  safe  execution 
of  the  movement.  At  10  p.  M.  the  order  was  given  for  the 
withdrawal  to  commence,  Mott  moving  first,  Egan  fol- 
lowing, but  halting  at  Dabney's  mill  to  protect  the  with- 
drawal of  Crawford's  division  of  "Warren's  corps.  He 
then  joined  Mott's  division,  which  had  massed  and  waited 
for  him  after  crossing  Hatcher's  Run,  when  both  divisions 
returned  to  the  lines  in  front  of  Petersburg,  October  28, 
1864. 

Gregg  marched  off  the  field  on  the  Quaker  road  about 
half  past  ten  o'clock,  and  the  pickets  were  withdrawn 
about  1  A.  M.  on  the  28th. 

It  has  since  been  learned  that  the  Confederates  re- 
mained on  the  battle-field  all  night,  and  so  increased 
their  force  that  they  would  have  attacked  General  Han- 
cock on  the  morning  of  the  28th  with  fifteen  thousand 
infantry  and  all  of  Hampton's  cavalry. 

In  his  official  report  of  this  battle,  General  Hancock 
personally  acknowledged  the  services  of  his  subordinates, 
particularly  Brevet  Major -General  Mott  and  Brigadier- 
General  Gregg,  commanding  the  cavalry.  He  recom- 
mended General  Egan  for  the  appointment  of  brevet 
major-general,  which  was  afterward  made,  for  his  distin- 
guished services  and  marked  gallantry  on  this  occasion. 
Major  and  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  "W.  G.  Mitchell, 
Senior  Aide-de-Camp,  was  highly  commended  in  General 
Hancock's  report,  reference  therein  being  made  to  General 
Egan,  who  had  spoken  in  high  terms  of  his  services  and 


THE  LOSSES  OF  HANCOCK'S  COMMAND.  263 

of  his  example  to  the  troops,  particularly  for  effecting,  at 
the  head  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  Cap- 
tain Farwell  commanding,  the  capture  of  about  two  hun- 
dred prisoners  and  one  color.  In  continuation,  General 
Hancock  says :  "  I  have  had  occasion  to  acknowledge  the 
services  of  Major  Mitchell  in  every  action  in  which  I 
have  been  engaged  during  the  war.  He  always  finds 
an  opportunity  for  increasing  his  reputation  for  bravery 
and  high  soldierly  qualities.  I  hope  the  brevet  appoint- 
ment of  colonel  for  which  I  have  heretofore  recommend- 
ed him  may  be  conferred  upon  him."  Colonel  McAllister, 
Eleventh  New  Jersey  Volunteers,  commanding  a  brigade ; 
Lieutenant  C.  H.  Morgan,  Assistant  Inspector-General  and 
Chief  of  Staff ;  Lieutenant  "W.  B.  Beck,  Fifth  United 
States  Artillery;  and  many  others,  were  mentioned  in 
honorable  terms. 

Although  the  general  plan  for  seizing  the  South  Side 
Railroad  failed,  the  cause  of  failure  being  readily  discern- 
ible, the  battle  of  Boydton  road  goes  down  in  history  as  a 
most  brilliant  engagement,  conducted  under  specially  diffi- 
cult and  embarrassing  circumstances.  At  the  time  it  was 
planned,  General  Hancock  was  informed  that  a  force  of 
twenty  thousand  infantry  would  be  given  him  for  the  op- 
eration, to  be  composed  of  troops  from  General  Butler's 
army,  in  addition  to  those  of  his  own  corps,  yet,  when 
the  official  orders  were  issued,  he  found  that  he  was  to 
have  only  the  two  small  divisions,  Second  and  Third,  of 
the  Second  Corps,  as  his  force  of  infantry,  with  which 
to  make  the  movement. 

The  losses  of  General  Hancock's  command  in  this 
battle  aggregated  1,482  killed,  wounded,  and  missing. 

Hardly  does  the  history  of  the  war  exhibit  an  instance 
of  more  brilliant  generalship  than  that  displayed  by 


LIFE   OF  WIXFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Hancock  on  this  occasion  ;  the  management  of  the  action 
was  most  creditable  to  his  skill  and  to  the  able  handling 
of  his  troops  in  the  very  difficult  combination  of  circum- 
stances amid  which  he  was  placed.  His  position  was 
isolated,  his  force  entirely  unequal  to  that  of  the  enemy, 
and  the  failure  to  reenf orce  or  even  to  supply  his  command 
with  ammunition  was  to  the  last  degree  embarrassing. 
Nothing  but  consummate  self-possession,  rapid  and  com- 
prehensive combinations,  and  indomitable  energy  could 
have  extricated  his  command. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Hancock's  Last  Battle  with  the  Second  Corps— His  Popularity  with  his  Men 
— Retrospective — General  Hancock  directed  to  raise  a  Corps  of  Veter- 
ans— He  Relinquishes  his  Command,  and  names  his  Successor — His 
parting  General  Order  No.  44 — Order  of  General  Humphreys  on  as- 
suming Command — General  Hancock  ordered  to  Winchester,  Va.,  to 
take  Command  of  the  Middle  Military  Division — Assassination  of  Pres~ 
ident  Lincoln — General  Hancock  ordered  to  Washington — He  is 
charged  with  the  Security  of  the  Capital — Lieutenant-General  Grant's 
Official  Report— The  case  of  Mrs.  Surratt. 

THE  engagement  at  the  Boydton  road  was  the  last 
occasion  on  which  General  Hancock  had  the  honor  to  di- 
rect in  battle  any  part  of  the  Second  Army  Corps.  In 
connection  with  his  command  of  this  magnificent  corps, 
one  feature  of  the  great  popularity  which  General  Han- 
cock enjoyed  among  his  troops  is  explained  by  the  na- 
ture of  his  official  reports  as  a  brigade,  division,  and 
corps  commander,  in  the  generous  and  complete  descrip- 
tion therein  supplied  of  the  services  of  those  who  were 
under  his  command,  and  the  liberal  and  complimentary 
notice  of  such  officers  and  men  as  specially  distinguished 
themselves. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  many  thousands  of  men  who  re- 
turned to  civil  life  at  the  close  of  the  war,  who  had  fol- 
lowed Hancock  through  Williamsburg,  Antietam,  Fred- 
ericksburg,  Chancellorville,  Gettysburg,  and  across  that 
great  battle-field  from  the  Rapidan  to  Petersburg — when 
12 


266  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

every  step  was  taken  in  blood — carried  with  them  memo- 
ries that  can  never  be  effaced ;  and  that  so  long  as  he  and 
they  live,  will  he  remain  their  ideal  of  a  leader. 

A  responsible  writer  in  the  "  United  Service  Maga- 
zine," May,  1866,  stated  that  the  Second  Corps  embraced 
on  its  rolls  the  names  of  upward  of  200,000  men ;  that 
it  lost  70,000  men  in  battle ;  that  it  captured  nearly,  or 
quite,  a  hundred  colors,  and  as  many  guns  as  any  other 
corps  ever  took  from  the  enemy,  excluding  those  cap- 
tured at  fortified  cities  and  places ;  that,  at  the  first  Fred- 
ericksburg,  it  lost  4,300  men,  one  third  of  the  loss  of  the 
army ;  at  Antietam,  5,200  men,  one  third  of  the  loss  of 
the  army ;  at  Gettysburg,  4,400  men ;  and,  in  the  cam- 
paign from  the  Eapidan  to  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army, 
about  38,000  men,  being  one  third  the  entire  loss.  An 
additional  and  emphatic  illustration  of  the  terrible  de- 
struction in  this  corps  exists  in  the  fact  that,  between 
May  3  and  October  27,  1864,  it  lost  thirty-seven  brigade 
commanders,  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  (there  being 
only  two  of  the  latter),  an  average  of  about  four  brigade 
commanders  to  each  brigade  in  the  course  of  six  months' 
fighting.  [The  Second  Corps  started  with  eleven  bri- 
gades, and  in  a  few  days,  on  account  of  losses,  was  reduced 
to  nine.] 

About  the  middle  of  November,  1864,  General  Han- 
cock desired  to  avail  himself  of  a  short  leave  of  absence, 
as  there  were  then  no  movements  being  made  against  the 
enemy ;  but,  in  reply  to  an  intimation  to  that  effect,  he 
was  informed  by  General  Meade  that  the  Secretary  of 
War  had  made  a  proposition  to  General  Grant  which 
might  render  a  leave  unnecessary.  A  subsequent  in- 
terview with  General  Grant  disclosed  the  fact  that  the 
Secretary  of  War  had  inquired  whether  the  services  of 


HIS  PARTING  GENERAL  ORDER.         267 

General  Hancock  could  be  spared  for  the  winter,  with  a 
view  of  raising  and  organizing  a  corps  of  veterans  from 
those  soldiers  who  had  served  two  years  and  had  been 
honorably  discharged.  This  proposition  being  made  to 
General  Hancock,  he  accepted  it,  and,  being  consulted  as 
to  his  successor  in  command  of  the  Second  Corps,  recom- 
mended for  that  position  Major-General  Humphreys, 
Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

In  taking  leave  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,  General 
Hancock  issued  the  following  order  : 

"  HEADQUARTERS  SECOND  ARMY  CORPS,  BEFORE  PETERSBURG, 

"November  26,  1864. 
"  GENERAL  ORDERS,  No.  44  : 

"  SOLDIERS  OF  THE  SECOND  CORPS  :  In  obedience  to  in- 
structions which  direct  me  to  another  field  of  duty,  I 
transfer  the  command  of  this  corps  to  Major-General  A. 
A.  Humphreys,  United  States  Volunteers. 

"  I  desire  at  parting  with  you  to  express  the  regret  I 
feel  at  the  necessity  which  calls  for  our  separation. 

"  Intimately  associated  with  you  in  the  dangers,  pri- 
vations, and  glory  which  have  fallen  to  your  lot  during 
the  memorable  campaign  of  the  past  two  years,  I  now 
leave  you  with  the  warmest  feelings  of  affection  and  es- 
teem. 

"  Since  I  have  had  the  honor  to  serve  with  you,  you 
have  won  the  right  to  place  upon  your  banners  the  his- 
toric names  of  '  Antietam,' i  Fredericksburg,'  *  Chancellor- 
ville,'  <  Gettysburg,'  <  Wilderness,'  <Po,'  <  Spottsylvania,' 
'North  Anna,'  4  Cold  Harbor,'  'Petersburg,'  'Ream's 
Station,'  '  Boydton  Road,'  and  many  other  contests. 

"  The  gallant  bearing  of  the  intrepid  officers  and  men 
of  the  Second  Corps,  on  the  bloodiest  fields  of  the  war, 
the  dauntless  valor  displayed  by  them  in  many  brilliant 


268  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

assaults  on  the  enemy's  strongest  positions,  the  great 
number  of  guns,  colors,  prisoners,  and  other  trophies  of 
war  captured  by  them  in  many  desperate  combats,  their 
unswerving  devotion  to  duty,  and  heroic  constancy  under 
all  the  dangers  and  hardships  which  such  campaigns  en- 
tail, have  won  for  them  an  imperishable  renown  and  the 
grateful  admiration  of  their  countrymen.  The  story  of 
the  Second  Corps  will  live  in  history,  and  to  its  officers 
and  men  will  be  ascribed  the  honor  of  having  served 
their  country  with  unsurpassed  fidelity  and  courage. 

"Conscious  that  whatever  military  honor  has  fallen 
to  me  during  my  association  with  the  Second  Corps,  has 
been  won  by  the  gallantry  of  the  officers  and  soldiers 
that  I  have  commanded,  I  feel  that  in  parting  from  them 
I  am  severing  the  strongest  ties  of  my  military  life. 

"  The  distinguished   officer  who  succeeds  me  is  en- 
titled to  your  entire  confidence.     His  record  assures  you 
that,  in  the  hour  of  battle,  he  will  lead  you  to  victory. 
"  WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK, 

"  Major- General  of  Volunteers" 

We  give  also  the  order  of  General  Humphreys  in  as- 
suming command  of  the  Second  Corps. 

"HEADQUARTERS  SECOND  ARMY  CORPS,  November  26,  1864. 
"  GENERAL  ORDERS,  No.  45 : 

"In  compliance  with,  and  by  authority  of  orders 
from  the  headquarters  of  this  army,  I  assume  command 
of  the  Second  Corps. 

"  It  is  natural  that  I  should  feel  some  diffidence  in 
succeeding  to  the  command  of  so  distinguished  a  soldier  as 
Major-General  Hancock. 

"  I  can  only  promise  you  that  I  shall  try  to  do  my 
duty,  and  preserve  your  reputation  unsullied,  relying 


GENERAL  HANCOCK   ORDERED   TO   WINCHESTER.      269 

upon  you  to  sustain  me  by  that  skill  and  courage  which 
you  have  so  conspicuously  displayed  on  so  many  fields. 
"  A.  A.  HUMPHREYS, 

"Major-General  of  Volunteers" 

General  Hancock  arrived  at  Washington  November 
27,  1864:,  and  at  once  began  the  enlistment  and  organi- 
zation of  the  First  Yeteran  Corps.  There  were  many 
difficulties  in  the  way,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  other 
officer  in  the  service  would  have  succeeded  as  well  as  he 
did.  In  the  first  place,  the  number  of  honorably  dis- 
charged men  of  the  two  years'  service  was  much  smaller 
than  was  counted  on  by  the  War  Department,  the  greater 
number  of  them  having  returned  to  the  field  in  other 
organizations.  Particularly  was  this  the  case  with  officers. 
Great  care  was  also  necessary  in  the  selection  of  officers 
from  those  who  presented  themselves  for  admission  to 
the  First  Yeteran  Corps.  The  State  regulations  control- 
ling "  bounties  "  also  interfered  with  enlistments  in  this 
organization,  very  small  bounties  being  offered  by  the 
general  Government. 

Although  the  enlistment  resulted  in  securing  about 
10,000  men,  General  Hancock  (in  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  spring  operations  about  the  Potomac  were  about  to 
commence)  applied  for  orders  returning  him  to  the  Sec- 
ond Corps  in  the  field,  and  received  the  assent  of  the 
Secretary  of  War ;  but  late  in  February  he  was  sent  for 
by  General  Halleck,  and  asked  to  repair  to  Winchester, 
Yirginia,  and  take  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Shen- 
andoah,  in  the  Middle  Military  Division.  General  Sher- 
idan, who  then  held  that  command,  was  about  mov- 
ing from  Winchester  with  a .  large  force  of  cavalry, 
and  it  was  not  proposed  to  assign  Genei'al  Hancock  per- 


2YO  MFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

manently  to  the  command  iintil  the  result  of  Sheridan's 
movements  should  be  known.  A  conference  ensued  at 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  between  the  President, 
the  Secretaries  of  War  and  State,  Mr.  Wilson,  Chairman 
of  the  Senate  Military  Committee,  and  General  Halleck, 
General  Hancock  being  present.  During  this  conference 
the  Secretary  of  War  promised  that  he  would  relieve  the 
General  from  Winchester  within  ten  days,  but,  there  be- 
ing comparatively  few  troops  there,  if  General  Hancock 
took  command  at  that  point,  the  enemy  would  suppose 
his  command  was  large.  On  this  promise  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  the  General  consented  to  go,  Mr.  Stanton 
thanking  him  warmly  for  yielding. 

It  was  supposed  at  the  war  office  at  this  time  that  the 
enemy  designed  a  sudden  movement  up  the  "valley" 
during  General  Sheridan's  absence,  from  the  fact  that 
Lee's  cavalry  was  supposed  to  be  picketing  the  Eappa- 
hannock,  indicating  a  threat  against  Washington,  similar 
to  Early's  movement  of  a  previous  date.  General  Hancock 
arrived  at  Winchester  and  relieved  General  Sheridan  on 
Monday  night,  February  26,  1865,  the  latter  officer  start- 
ing on  the  following  morning  on  his  expedition  down  the 
"  valley  "  with  a  large  cavalry  force. 

Mr.  Stanton  at  once  began  sending  troops  to  General 
Hancock,  and  in  three  weeks  he  had  (taking  the  disposa- 
ble troops  in  his  command  and  those  sent  to  him)  about 
30,000  men  available  for  a  movement.  Being  allowed  to 
select  his  commanders  to  a  certain  extent,  he  gathered 
about  him  at  Winchester  those  tried  and  trusty  young 
officers,  Egan,  Brooke,  Carroll,  and  others,  each  in  com- 
mand of  a  powerful  division. 

The  Middle  Military  Division  embraced  at  this  time 
the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  the  Department  of  Wash- 


APPRECIATION  OF  HANCOCK'S  LABORS.  271 

ington,  General  Augur  commanding ;  the  Department  of 
Maryland,  commanded  by  General  Lewis  Wallace;  the 
Department  of  Pennsylvania,  Major-General  Cadwallader 
commanding ;  and  the  Department  of  West  Yirginia. 

The  returns,  including  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah, 
showed  a  total  of  almost  100,000  men  for  duty  within 
the  limits  of  General  Hancock's  command. 

The  latter  now  bent  all  his  energies  to  organizing  and 
equipping  a  force  as  powerful  as  possible  from  the  mass 
of  his  command,  and,  without  leaving  any  points  uncov- 
ered, found  himself  able  to  move  with  about  25,000  in- 
fantry, 3,000  cavalry,  and  a  proper  complement  of  artillery. 

The  following  extract  from  a  dispatch  from  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  will  show  how  General  Hancock's  labors 
were  appreciated : 

"  I  am  very  much  gratified  by  your  energy  in  organ- 
izing and  administering  the  military  force  of  your  im- 
portant command.  Your  dispatch  of  this  evening  to 
General  Halleck  vindicates  my  judgment  in  assigning  you 
to  that  position,  and  shows  that  you  could  not  in  any  other 
render  service  so  valuable  and  urgent  to  the  Government. 
I  would  be  glad  to  have  a  detailed  report  of  the  force  and 
its  location,  a  thing  I  have  never  been  able  to  procure. 
For  what  you  have  done  already,  you  have  the  thanks  of 
this  department. 

(Signed)         "  EDWIN  M.  STANTON." 

It  was  arranged  subsequently,  and  after  the  forcing  of 
the  lines  at  Petersburg,  that,  if  Lee  fell  back  on  Lynch- 
burg,  Hancock  was  to  march  his  army  against  him  at  that 
point ;  and,  if  Lee  joined  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Hancock's 
troops  were  to  be  sent  to  Sherman  by  shipping.  The 


272  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HAXCOCK. 

rapid  march  of  events,  however,  rendered  either  of  these 
movements  unnecessary,  and  the  only  duty  remaining  to 
General  Hancock  in  the  "valley"  was  to  force  the  sur- 
render and  to  receive  the  paroles  of  the  partisan  troops 
in  that  region. 

On  the  night  of  April  14,  1865,  Abraham  Lincoln, 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  assassinated  in  Ford's 
Theatre,  Washington,  D.  C.,  by  J.  Wilkes  Booth.  On 
April  22d,  orders  were  issued  at  Washington  transferring 
General  Hancock's  headquarters  to  that  city,  and  two 
days  after  his  arrival  there  he  received  the  following  in- 
structions from  the  War  Office,  these  being  the  orders 
which  led  to  what  connection  General  Hancock  had  with 
the  trial  of  the  conspirators  against  the  President  and 
the  subsequent  execution  of  some  of  them  : 

"WAR  DEPARTMENT,  WASHINGTON  CITY,  April  25,  1865. 

"  GENERAL  :  Your  headquarters  having  been  estab- 
lished in  Washington,  you  will  please  consider  yourself 
specially  charged  with  the  security  of  the  Capital,  the  pub- 
lic archives,  and  the  public  property  therein,  and  with  the 
necessary  protection  to  the  President,  the  officers  of  the 
Government,  and  the  loyal  citizens.  The  following  sub- 
jects are  especially  recommended  to  your  attention. 

"  1st.  The  condition  of  the  forts  and  defensive  works. 

"2d.  The  organization,  proper  discipline,  and  man- 
agement of  an  adequate  military  force,  to  act  as  a  mounted 
military  police  at  all  times,  day  and  night,  within  the  city, 
for  the  purpose  of  guarding  against  assassination,  and  of 
arresting  offenders. 

"  3d.  You  are  also  directed  to  give  special  attention 
to  the  employment  of  your  force  in  the  arrest  of  the  per- 
sons who  were  recently  engaged  in  the  murder  of  Presi- 


GENERAL   GRANT   AND   GENERAL  HANCOCK.          273 

dent  Lincoln,  and  the  attempted  assassination  of  the 
Secretary  of  State,  taking  all  proper  measures  for  their 
detection  and  to  prevent  their  escape. 

"  4th.  All  other  matters  essential  to  the  security  and 
peace  of  your  command. 

"  In  the  absence  of  Lieutenant-General  Grant  you  will 
report  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  daily,  for  any  instructions 
he  may  have  to  give. 

"  You  will  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  these  instruc- 
tions. 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  "  EDWIN  M.  STANTON, 

"  Secretary  of  War. 

"  MAJOR-GENERAL  W.  S.  HANCOCK,  Division  Commander, 
"HEADQUARTERS  MIDDLE  MILITARY  DIVISION." 

The  duties  with  which  General  Hancock  was  charged 
during  the  exciting  period  following  Mr.  Lincoln's  death 
were  perhaps  not  always  agreeable.  It  is  well  known,  to 
those  conversant  with  the  true  condition  of  affairs,  that 
for  several  days  the  Government  really  rested  upon  the 
shoulders  of  Mr.  Stanton ;  and  that,  in  the  exciting  state 
of  anxiety  and  doubt,  almost  amounting  to  bewilderment, 
his  strong  will  dominated  over  all ;  and,  in  calling  Gen- 
eral Hancock  to  the  Capital  at  that  time,  the  Secretary 
gave  the  strongest  proof  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  that 
officer  was  held  by  him. 

At  this  point  reference  may  be  properly  made  to  the 
following  facts  :  The  official  report  of  Lieutenant-General 
Grant,  made  public  in  the  fall  of  1865,  drew  from  General 
Hancock  a  letter,  dated  Baltimore,  December  16, 1865,  and 
addressed  to  Colonel  T.  S.  Bowers,  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General,  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  which  General  Hancock 
took  exception  to  Lieutenant-General  Grant's  report,  alleg- 


274:  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

ing  that  therein  the  Second  Army  Corps,  and  he  as  its  com- 
mander, had  not  received  exact  justice  in  the  relations  of 
the  battles  and  engagements  in  which  they  had  been  con- 
cerned. The  letter  was  lengthy,  and  named  in  detail  such 
battles  and  engagements,  besides  certain  meritorious  ser- 
vices of  commanders  and  other  officers,  and  drew  from 
Lieutenant-General  Grant  a  handsome  response  in  acknowl- 
edgment and  explanation,  comprised  in  a  letter  from 
the  Assistant  Adjutant-General  under  date  December  18, 
1865.  In  this  communication  it  was  explained  that  no 
intentional  omission  was  made  in  Lieutenant-General 
Grant's  report,  its  necessary  limits  comprehending  the 
movements  of  armies  instead  of  corps.  This  letter  con- 
cluded as  follows :  "  He  (Lieutenant-General  Grant)  di- 
rects me  to  say  that  such  omission  arose  from  no  lack  of 
appreciation  of  the  gallant  services  rendered  by  yourself 
and  your  command  during  that  campaign — services  not 
surpassed  by  those  of  any  corps  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac." 

It  should  be  observed  in  this  connection  that,  at  the 
time  when  General  Grant  wrote  his  report,  he  had  not 
received  many  of  the  subordinate  reports  from  General 
Meade. 

The  entire  loss  by  casualties  in  the  Second  Corps 
from  May  5,  1863,  until  October  28,  1864,  aggregated 
28,520  men,  of  whom  3,932  were  killed,  17,201  wounded, 
7,387  missing. 

Although  General  Hancock  was  in  Washington  in 
command  of  the  Middle  Military  Division,  comprising  in 
all  about  100,000  men,  during  the  trial  and  execution  of 
the  prisoners  charged  with  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln,  he  was  not  a  member  of  the  military  commission 
which  tried  Mrs.  Surratt,  nor  had  he  anything  whatever 


EXECUTION  OF  MRS.  SURRATT.         275 

to  do  with  her  trial,  nor  any  responsibility  for  the  find- 
ing of  the  court,  nor  for  the  sentence  imposed. 

The  troops  that  guarded  the  prisoners,  including  Mrs. 
Surratt;  were,  of  course,  under  General  Hancock's  com- 
mand, being  a  portion  of  the  forces  stationed  within  his 
division ;  and  when  the  orders  for  the  execution  were 
issued  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  those  or- 
ders were  directed  to  General  Hancock,  as  the  highest 
officer  present  in  command,  according  to  invariable  mili- 
tary usage  when  military  sentences  are  to  be  executed. 
The  orders  for  this  execution  were  transmitted  by  Gen- 
eral Hancock  through  the  proper  channels  to  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  military  prison,  General  Hartranft,  who  had 
custody  of  the  prisoners.  A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was 
issued  by  Judge  Wylie,  of  the  United  States  District 
Court,  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  returnable  at  10  A.  M. 
on  the  day  of  the  execution.  General  Hancock  formally 
transmitted  the  writ  by  the  hands  of  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  for  his 
'action.  The  President  suspended  the  writ,  and  directed 
General  Hancock,  as  military  commander,  to  cause  the 
executions  to  be  proceeded  with,  as  originally  ordered. 
General  Hancock,  accompanied  by  the  Attorney-General 
of  the  United  States,  appeared  before  Judge  Wylie  in 
the  United  States  District  Court,  and  returned  the  writ 
to  the  Judge,  and  the  latter  released  him  (Hancock)  from 
attendance  upon  the  court,  and,  for  reasons  assigned,  de- 
clined to  take  any  further  action  in  the  ease.  The  civil 
authorities  being  prohibited  from  further  interference,  the 
military  were  obliged  to  proceed  under  the  orders  of  the 
President,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  of  the  Uni- 
ted States.  Any  different  action  would  have  been  absurd 
and  indefensible,  as  well  as  futile.  Executive  officers  in 


276  L!FE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

military  service  are  not  responsible  for  the  findings  or  acts 
of  military  courts,  nor  for  illegal  or  unjust  sentences,  nor 
are  civil  executive  officers.  A  sheriff  is  bound  by  his  oath 
of  office  to  execute  the  sentence  of  a  court,  whatever  may 
be  his  private  opinion  of  the  justice  of  that  sentence ;  much 
less  can  a  military  officer  refuse  to  execute  legal  the  order 
of  his  superior.  To  hold  General  Hancock  responsible  in 
any  particular  for  the  death  of  Mrs.  Surratt  is  an  absurd- 
ity which  no  person  familiar  with  law,  either  civil  or  mili- 
tary, will  sustain.  Indeed,  it  is  in  evidence  from  his 
very  acts  that  General  Hancock  did  all  within  his  power 
with  a  view  to  saving  Mrs.  Surratt.  Thinking  it  possi- 
ble that  other  writs  or  a  reprieve  might  be  issued,  ad- 
dressed to  him,  he  went  to  the  arsenal  where  the  pris- 
oners were  confined,  and  remained  there  until  the  last 
moment.  Not  only  this,  but  he  stationed  couriers  at  po- 
sitions along  the  streets  leading  from  the  White  House 
to  the  arsenal,  for  the  purpose  of  having  conveyed  to 
him  instant  intelligence  if  any  favorable  orders  should  be 
issued.  No  such  orders  were  issued,  and  the  executions 
proceeded  under  the  direction  of  General  Hartranft, 
governor  of  the  prison,  who  had  been  appointed  a  spe- 
cial provost  marshal  general  to  attend  the  military  com- 
mission, and  execute  its  mandates  and  sentences. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  execution  of  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt, the  daughter  of  the  prisoner  visited  General  Han- 
cock and  asked  his  advice.  He  counseled  her  to  repair 
to  the  Executive  mansion  and  throw  herself  upon  the 
mercy  of  the  President ;  and  subsequently,  after  the  return 
of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  when  it  became  evident 
that  there  was  no  hope  of  pardon  or  reprieve,  he  notified 
Miss  Surratt  of  the  fact.  As  Mrs.  Surratt  was  a  Roman 
Catholic,  many  persons  supposed  that  the  adherents  to 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  SENTIMENT.        277 

that  faith  would  deeply  sympathize  with  her  unhappy 
fate,  and  experience  a  feeling  of  resentment  against 
General  Hancock  on  account  of  his  nominal  connection 
with  her  execution.  Such  an  apprehension  did  great  in- 
justice to  the  intelligence  and  fairness  of  the  priesthood 
and  laity  of  that  church,  assuming,  as  it  did,  that  they 
would  condemn  a  public  official  for  fulfilling  his  public 
duty  under  the  orders  of  his  superiors.  It  is  a  fact  that 
the  priesthood  and  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
communion,  from  the  archbishop  down,  attached  no 
blame  to  General  Hancock  for  the  part  he  bore  in  the 
painful  transaction  in  question. 

The  Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  at  this  time  the  highest 
Catholic  official  in  the  United  States,  gave  every  assurance 
that  he  had  never  censured  General  Hancock  for  the 
merely  perfunctory  part  with  which  the  latter  was  in- 
trusted in  the  Surratt  tragedy.  On  the  contrary,  his 
Grace  the  Archbishop,  Rev.  T.  B.  Walter — Mrs.  Surratt' s 
spiritual  adviser — and  other  friends  during  this  unhappy 
occasion,  expressed  their  appreciation  of  the  General's 
delicacy  and  kindness  during  the  progress  of  the  trial 
and  execution. 

Thus  much  of  statement  in  regard  to  the  Surratt 
case  would  seem  to  be  proper  and  pertinent  in  this  place, 
in  view  of  certain  interested  and  unfounded  accusations 
concerning  the  connection  therewith  of  General  Hancock. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

After  the  War — Middle  Military  Department — Headquarters  at  Baltimore 
— General  Hancock  transferred  to  the  Department  of  Missouri — Indian 
Troubles — General  Hancock  and  the  Cheyennes — Indian  Treachery  and 
its  Punishment — General  Hancock  appointed  to  the  Command  of  the 
Fifth  Military  District — He  proceeds  to  New  Orleans — The  Reconstruc- 
tion Acts — Order  No.  40. 

THE  Middle  Military  Division,  of  which  General  Han- 
cock was  in  command,  having  been  discontinued,  and 
the  Middle  Military  Department  established,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  latter,  and  assumed  command  July  30, 1865. 
At  that  time,  or  just  after  the  close  of  the  war,  the  de- 
partment contained  a  large  number  of  troops,  and  it  be- 
came a  part  of  his  duty  to  superintend  and  direct  the 
mustering  out  of  the  volunteer  service,  which  work  was 
satisfactorily  accomplished. 

His  headquarters  were  in  Baltimore,  a  city  which  all 
through  the  war  had  been  in  a  chronic  exasperated  con- 
dition, the  leading  citizens  sympathizing  with  the  South. 
But  so  ably  and  judiciously  did  General  Hancock  adminis- 
ter the  affairs  of  his  command  that  much  of  this  feeling 
was  soon  removed.  He  treated  all  questions  with  justice 
and  impartiality,  and  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
the  majority  of  all  classes  of  the  citizens.  His  dignified 
presence,  courtly  manners,  and  wise  and  magnanimous 
administration  of  affairs  did  much  to  restore  the  era  of 


TRANSFERRED   TO   DEPARTMENT  OF  MISSOURI.        279 

confidence  and  kind  feeling,  and  marked  the  General  as 
one  who  was  as  skillful  in  promoting  public  interests 
in  peace  as  he  was  brilliant  and  energetic  in  war. 

Orders  from  the  War  Department,  dated  August  6, 
1 866,  released  General  Hancock  from  the  military  com- 
mand of  the  Middle  Military  Department  and  transferred 
him  to  that  of  the  Department  of  Missouri,  with  his  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 

Sectional  feeling  was  very  bitter  in  Missouri  at  that 
time,  and  the  public  peace  was  threatened.  It  required 
all  the  wisdom,  address,  and  personal  magnetism  of  Gen- 
eral Hancock  to  repress  the  combative  tendencies  of  the 
people  during  the  election  which  occurred  about  this 
time,  though  he  gave  the  whole  weight  of  his  influence 
to  the  civil  authorities  in  their  efforts  to  preserve  the 
peace  and  maintain  the  law.  In  fact,  it  was  at  this  time 
and  under  the  peculiar  difficulties  which  surrounded  him, 
both  in  Maryland  and  in  Missouri,  that  General  Hancock 
began  to  be  noted  for  the  spirit  of  true  patriotism,  and  the 
courageous  adherence  to  the  essence  of  constitutional  law, 
which  continued  to  characterize  his  connection  with  ad- 
ministrative authority  thereafter. 

During  the  fall  of  1866  and  the  ensuing  winter,  some 
of  the  Indian  tribes  inhabiting  portions  of  Kansas  and 
the  Indian  Territory  (Department  of  Missouri),  became 
restless  and  turbulent,  and  their  relations  to  our  Govern- 
ment demanded  immediate  adjustment.  This  was  espe- 
cially true  of  the  Cheyennes,  and  also  of  the  Kiowas, 
Apaches  of  the  plains,  and  Arrapahoes.  The  Cheyennes 
are  a  very  warlike  tribe,  which  at  this  time  roamed  at 
large  between  the  Arkansas  and  Platte  Eivers.  This 
region  was  traversed  by  the  main  roads  leading  to  Colo- 
rado and  New  Mexico,  the  intended  route  of  the  Kansas 


280  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

Pacific  Railroad — eastern  division — then  in  process  of 
construction.  Depredations  were  committed  almost  daily 
by  the  Indians,  stages  were  stopped  and  robbed,  settlers 
were  despoiled  on  their  farms,  murdered,  and  burned  on 
the  funeral  pyres  of  their  destroyed  houses,  and  trav- 
elers on  the  roads  were  murdered  and  mutilated,  until 
matters  came  to  such  a  pass  that  travel  was  suspended 
across  that  portion  of  the  plains,  except  by  stages  car- 
rying strong  guards  of  soldiers,  or  by  trains  with  heavy 
escorts. 

The  Indians  made  open  threats  to  post  commanders 
and  others  that,  when  the  "  grass  grew  "  in  the  spring  of 
1867,  they  would  clear  the  country  of  the  whites,  and 
stop  the  progress  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad. 

With  a  view  to  taking  measures  to  avert  a  general  In- 
dian war  and  massacre,  General  Hancock  was  directed 
(March  14,  1867)  by  Lieutenant-General  Sherman  to  or- 
ganize a  force  out  of  the  troops  serving  in  his  depart- 
ment, and  approach  to  the  country  of  the  Cheyennes, 
Kiowas,  and  Arrapahoes,  and  notify  them  that  there  was 
to  be  war  or  peace ;  and,  if  they  preferred  the  latter,  they 
must  cease  from  their  outrages  upon  travelers  and  their 
depredations  against  the  white  settlers. 

In  compliance  with  these  instructions,  General  Han- 
cock marched  from  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  March  26, 
186Y,  with  a  force  of  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery, 
amounting  to  about  fourteen  hundred  men.  He  reached 
Fort  Lamed,  Kansas,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Pawnee  Fork 
and  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Arkansas  River,  on  April 
7, 1867. 

On  the  12th  of  that  month  General  Hancock  held  a 
council  with  some  of  the  leading  Cheyenne  chiefs,  at 
which  he  explained  fully  and  explicitly  the  views  and  in- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS.  281 

tentions  of  our  Government  toward  the  Indians.  On  the 
14th,  two  days  later,  General  Hancock,  for  the  purpose  of 
again  talking  with  the  prominent  chiefs  at  their  village, 
moved  with  his  command  from  Fort  Earned  to  a  point 
on  the  Pawnee  Fork,  situated  about  twenty -five  miles 
above  the  post.  An  Indian  village  was  near  this  point, 
and  the  command  encamped  within  one  mile  and  a  half 
of  it,  the  village  being  occupied  by  Cheyennes  and  a 
large  band  of  Sioux.  Stringent  orders  were  given  by 
the  General  that  the  Indians  should  not  be  disturbed 
either  in  their  persons  or  property.  The  latter  had,  how- 
ever, resolved  on  war,  and  during  the  night  of  the  14th, 
although  they  had  promised  to  meet  the  General  in  coun- 
cil on  the  following  day,  they  abandoned  their  village. 
They  hastened  northward  toward  the  Smoky  Hill  and 
Republican  Rivers,  attacked  the  mail  stations  on  the 
Denver  Road  and  working  parties  on  the  Kansas  Paci- 
fic Railway,  killing  and  wounding  a  number,  running 
off  stock,  and  committing  other  depredations.  As  soon 
as  General  Hancock  learned  that  the  Indians  had  aban- 
doned their  village,  he  sent  General  Ouster  after  them 
with  a  force  of  cavalry,  with  orders  to  overtake,  and,  if 
possible,  bring  them  back.  General  Ouster  followed 
them  rapidly  for  two  days,  but  did  not  come  up  with 
them,  they  having  crossed  the  Smoky  Hill  River  on  the 
morning  of  the  16th,  eight  hundred  strong,  and  entered 
upon  the  series  of  outrages  already  mentioned. 

General  Hancock  in  the  mean  time  remained  in  his 
camp  awaiting  information ;  and,  on  hearing  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  Indians  by  official  report  of  General  Ouster, 
and  knowing  that  by  these  murders  and  depredations  the 
war,  which  had  been  actually  in  progress  for  more  than 
a  year,  was  being  continued  with  renewed  ferocity,  he 


282  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

gave  orders  for  tlie  destruction  of  their  village,  as  a  pun- 
ishment for  their  treachery  and  bad  faith,  and  for  the 
murders  which  they  had  willfully  and  gratuitously  com- 
mitted. A  few  old  people  and  sick,  who  had  been  left 
behind  in  the  village  by  the  Indians,  were  taken  in 
charge  under  the  General's  orders  and  were  properly 
cared  for. 

This  Indian  war  was  vigorously  prosecuted  by  General 
Hancock  with  the  small  force  at  his  command  during  the 
remaining  period  of  his  continuance  in  the  Department  of 
the  Missouri,  that  is,  until  September,  1867,  when  he  left 
the  command  of  that  department. 

During  that  summer  General  Hancock  organized  a 
force  of  mounted  volunteers,  about  twenty-five  hun- 
dred strong,  in  the  neighboring  States  and  Territories, 
and,  adding  to  this  all  the  regular  troops  under  his  com- 
mand, conducted  the  war  with  such  success  that  he  event- 
ually conquered  a  peace  without  unnecessary  cruelty  and 
with  comparatively  slight  loss  to  our  arms.  The  war  did 
not  finally  close  until  the  winter  of  1868-'69,  being  con- 
tinued by  General  Sheridan  after  he  relieved  General 
Hancock,  many  lives  being  lost  during  its  continuance, 
much  property  destroyed,  and  the  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try retarded  and  travel  over  the  plains  suspended. 

The  official  records  show  that  General  Hancock,  dur- 
ing his  command  in  the  Indian  country,  did  all  that  was 
possible  to  preserve  peace  with  the  Indians,  and  that  it 
was  not  until  the  murders  and  outrages,  treacherously 
undertaken  by  them,  had  been  committed,  that  he  pun- 
ished them  by  destroying  their  village. 

Pursuant  to  orders  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  General  Hancock  relinquished  the  command  of 
the  Department  of  the  Missouri  on  the  12th  of  Sep- 


ORDERED  TO  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT.  283 

tember,  186T,  and  shortly  after  proceeded  to  New  Or- 
leans, where  he  assumed  command  of  the  Fifth  Mili- 
tary District,  comprising  the  States  of  Louisiana  and 
Texas. 

The  considerations  which  prompted  this  appointment 
were  highly  complimentary  to  the  General,  who  had,  in 
every  position  in  which  his  services  had  been  employed, 
exhibited  so  much  foresight,  moderation,  firmness,  prac- 
tical wisdom,  and  administrative  ability,  that  the  cabinet 
turned  to  him  as  the  man  most  eminently  qualified  to 
harmonize  the  discordant  elements  of  society  in  the 
South,  and  restore  the  regular  operation  of  the  law.  In 
Maryland  and  Missouri  his  influence  had  been  so  benign 
and  so  efficient  as  to  promise  similar  results  in  this  new 
field  of  civic-military  operations. 

He  set  out  for  New  Orleans  immediately  upon  trans- 
ferring the  Department  of  Missouri  to  General  Phil  Sheri- 
dan, but  at  St.  Louis  was  met  by  a  telegram  from  the 
President  ordering  him  to  "Washington,  where  he  re- 
mained for  some  days  in  conference  with  the  national 
authorities  concerning  the  command  to  which  he  was 
going,  after  which  time  he  returned  to  St.  Louis. 

He  finally  arrived  at  New  Orleans  and  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  district  on  the  29th  of  November,  relieving 
General  Mower.  General  Hancock  had  meanwhile  care- 
fully considered  the  subject  of  the  reconstruction  of  the 
Southern  States  under  the  acts  passed  by  Congress,  and 
had  concluded  upon  his  own  duty  in  the  premises  and 
determined  upon  his  course. 

Here  it  is  proper  to  give  the  "  Reconstruction  Acts," 
so  called,  under  which  those  appointed  to  command  in 
the  States  recently  in  rebellion  were  authorized  and  em- 
powered to  act. 


284:  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

(From  "  IT.  8.  Statutes  at  Large,"  Volume  XIV,  Chapter  CLIII.) 

CHAPTER  CLIII.— An  Act  to  provide  for  the  more  efficient 
Government  of  the  Rebel  States.  (Passed  March  #d,  1867.} 

Whereas,  no  legal  State  government  or  adequate  protection  for 
life  or  property  now  exists  in  the  rebel  States  of  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Louisiana, 
Florida,  Texas,  and  Arkansas ;  and  whereas  it  is  necessary  that 
peace  and  good  order  should  be  enforced  in  said  States  until  loyal 
and  republican  State  governments  can  be  legally  established  ;  there- 
fore, 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  said  rebel 
States  shall  be  divided  into  military  districts,  and  made  subject  to 
the  military  authority  of  the  United  States  as  hereinafter  prescribed, 
and  for  that  purpose  Virginia  shall  constitute  the  first  district ; 
North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina  the  second  district ;  Georgia, 
Alabama,  and  Florida  the  third  district ;  Mississippi  and  Arkansas 
the  fourth  district ;  and  Louisiana  and  Texas  the  fifth  district. 

SEC.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  President  to  assign  to  the  command  of  each  of  said  districts  an 
officer  of  the  army,  not  below  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  to 
detail  a  sufficient  military  force  to  enable  such  officer  to  perform  his 
duties  and  enforce  his  authority  within  the  district  to  which  he  is 
assigned. 

SEO.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
each  officer  assigned  as  aforesaid,  to  protect  all  persons  in  their 
rights  of  person  and  property,  to  suppress  insurrection,  disorder, 
and  violence,  and  to  punish,  or  cause  to  be  punished,  all  disturbers 
of  the  public  peace  and  criminals ;  and  to  this  end  he  may  allow 
local  civil  tribunals  to  take  jurisdiction  of  and  to  try  offenders,  or, 
when  in  his  judgment  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  trial  of  offenders, 
he  shall  have  power  to  organize  military  commissions  or  tribunals 
for  that  purpose,  and  all  interference  under  color  of  State  authority 
with  the  exercise  of  military  authority  under  this  act  shall  be  null 
and  void. 

SEO.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  persons  put  under 
military  arrest  by  virtue  of  this  act  shall  be  tried  without  unneces- 


THE   RECONSTRUCTION   ACTS.  285 

sary  delay,  and  no  cruel  or  unusual  punishment  shall  be  inflicted, 
and  no  sentence  of  any  military  commission  or  tribunal  hereby 
authorized,  affecting  the  life  or  liberty  of  any  person,  shall  be  exe- 
cuted until  it  is  approved  by  the  officer  in  command  of  the  district, 
and  the  laws  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  the  army  shall 
not  be  affected  by  this  act,  except  in  so  far  as  they  conflict  with  its 
provisions :  Provided,  That  no  sentence  of  death  under  the  provi- 
sions of  this  act  shall  be  carried  into  effect  without  the  approval  of 
the  President. 

SEC.  5.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  when  the  people  of  any 
one  of  said  rebel  States  shall  have  formed  a  constitution  of  govern- 
ment in  conformity  with  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  in 
all  respects,  framed  by  a  convention  of  delegates  elected  by  the 
male  citizens  of  said  State  twenty-one  years  old  and  upward,  of 
whatever  race,  color,  or  previous  condition,  who  have  been  resi- 
dent in  said  State  for  one  year  previous  to  the  day  of  such  election, 
except  such  as  may  be  disfranchised  for  participation  in  the  rebel- 
lion or  for  felony  at  common  law,  and  when  such  constitution  shall 
provide  that  the  elective  franchise  shall  be  enjoyed  by  all  such  per- 
sons as  have  the  qualifications  herein  stated  for  electors  of  delegates, 
and  when  such  constitution  shall  be  ratified  by  a  majority  of  the 
persons  voting  on  the  question  of  ratification  who  are  qualified  as 
electors  for  delegates,  and  when  such  constitution  shall  have  been 
submitted  to  Congress  for  examination  and  approval,  and  Congress 
shall  have  approved  the  same,  and  when  said  State,  by  a  vote  of  its 
legislature  elected  under  said  constitution,  shall  have  adopted  the 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  proposed  by 
the  Thirty-ninth  Congress,  and  known  as  Article  Fourteen,  and 
when  said  article  shall  have  become  a  part  of  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  said  State  shall  be  declared  entitled  to  represen- 
tation in  Congress,  and  senators  and  representatives  shall  be  admit- 
ted therefrom  on  their  taking  the  oath  prescribed  by  law,  and  then 
and  thereafter  the  preceding  sections  of  this  act  shall  be  inoperative 
in  said  State :  Provided,  That  no  person,  excluded  from  the  privilege 
of  holding  office  by  said  proposed  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  shall  be  eligible  to  election  as  a  member  of  the 
convention  to  frame  a  constitution  for  any  of  said  rebel  States,  nor 
shall  any  such  person  vote  for  members  of  such  convention. 

SEC.  6.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That,  until  the  people  of  said 


286  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

rebel  States  shall  be  by  law  admitted  to  representation  in  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  any  civil  governments  which  may  exist 
therein  shall  be  deemed  provisional  only,  and  in  all  respects  subject 
to  the  paramount  authority  of  the  United  States  at  any  time  to  abol- 
ish, modify,  control,  or  supersede  the  same  ;  and  in  all  elections  to 
any  office  under  such  provisional  governments  all  persons  shall  be 
entitled  to  vote,  and  none  others,  who  are  entitled  to  vote,  under 
the  provisions  of  the  fifth  section  of  this  act ;  and  no  person  shall  be 
eligible  to  any  office  under  any  such  provisional  governments  who 
would  be  disqualified  from  holding  office  under  the  provisions  of  the 
third  article  of  said  Constitutional  amendment. 

SCHTJYLER    COLFAX, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
LA  FAYETTE  S.  FOSTER, 

President  of  the  Senate,  pro  tempore. 

(From  "  U.  S.  Statutes  at  Large,"  Vol.  XV,  Chapter  VI.) 

CHAPTER  VI.  An  Act  supplementary  to  an  Act  entitled,  "An 
Act  to  provide  for  the  more  efficient  Government  of  the  Rebel 
States"  passed  March  second,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty -seven, 
and  to  facilitate  Restoration. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That,  before  the 
first  day  of  September,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-seven,  the  com- 
manding general  in  each  district  defined  by  an  Act  entitled,  "An 
Act  to  provide  for  the  more  efficient  government  of  the  Rebel 
States,"  passed  March  second,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-seven, 
shall  cause  a  registration  to  be  made  of  the  male  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  upward,  resident  in 
each  county  or  parish  in  the  State  or  States  included  in  his  dis- 
trict, which  registration  shall  include  only  those  persons  who  are 
qualified  to  vote  for  delegates  by  the  act  aforesaid,  and  who  shall 
have  taken  and  subscribed  the  following  oath  or  affirmation :  "  I, 
— ,  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm),  in  the  presence  of  Al- 
mighty God,  that  I  am  a  citizen  of  the  State  of ;  that  I  have 

resided  in  said  State  for months  next  preceding  this  day,  and 

now  reside  in  the  county  of ,  or  the  parish  of ,  in  said 

State  (as  the  case  may  be) ;  that  I  am  twenty-one  years  old ;  that 


THE  RECONSTRUCTION  ACTS.  287 

I  have  not  been  disfranchised  for  participation  in  any  rebellion  or 
civil  war  against  the  United  States;  nor  for  felony  committed 
against  the  laws  of  any  State,  or  of  the  United  States ;  that  I  have 
never  been  a  member  of  any  State  legislature,  nor  held  any  exec- 
utive or  judicial  office  in  any  State  and  afterward  engaged  in  insur- 
rection or  rebellion  against  the  United  States,  or  given  aid  or  com- 
fort to  the  enemies  thereof;  that  I  have  never  taken  an  oath  as 
a  member  of  Congress  of  the  United  States,  or  as  an  officer  of  the 
United  States,  or  as  a  member  of  any  State  legislature,  or  as  an 
executive  or  judicial  officer  of  any  State,  to  support  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  and  afterward  engaged  in  insurrection  or 
rebellion  against  the  United  States,  or  given  aid  or  comfort  to  the 
enemies  thereof;  that  I  will  faithfully  support  the  Constitution  and 
obey  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best  of  my  abil- 
ity, encourage  others  so  to  do,  so  help  me  God  " ;  which  oath  or  affir- 
mation may  be  administered  by  any  registering  officer. 

SEC.  2.  And  ~be  it  further  enacted,  That,  after  the  completion  of 
the  registration  hereby  provided  for  in  any  State,  at  such  time  and 
places  therein  as  the  commanding  general  shall  appoint  and  direct, 
of  which  at  least  thirty  days'  public  notice  shall  be  given,  an  elec- 
tion shall  be  held  of  delegates  to  a  convention  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  constitution  and  civil  government  for  such  State  loyal 
to  the  Union ;  said  convention  in  each  State,  except  Virginia,  to  con- 
sist of  the  same  number  of  members  as  the  most  numerous  branch 
of  the  State  legislature  of  such  State  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty,  to  be  apportioned  among  the  several  districts,  counties, 
or  parishes  of  such  State  by  the  commanding  general,  giving  to  each 
representation  in  the  ratio  of  voters  registered  as  aforesaid  as  nearly 
as  may  be.  The  convention  in  Virginia  shall  consist  of  the  same 
number  of  members  as  represented  the  territory  now  constituting 
Virginia  in  the  most  numerous  branch  of  the  legislature  of  said 
State  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty,  to  be  apportioned  as 
aforesaid. 

SKO.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  at  said  election  the  re- 
gistered voters  of  each  State  shall  vote  for  or  against  a  convention 
to  form  a  constitution  therefor  under  this  act.  Those  voting  in 
favor  of  such  a  convention  shall  have  written  or  printed  on  the 
ballots  by  which  they  vote  for  delegates,  as  aforesaid,  the  words 
"  For  a  Convention,"  and  those  voting  against  such  a  convention 


288  LIFE   OF   WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

shall  have  written  or  printed  on  such  ballots  the  words  "Against  a 
Convention."  The  persons  appointed  to  superintend  said  election, 
and  to  make  return  of  the  votes  given  thereat,  as  herein  provided, 
shall  count  and  make  return  of  the  votes  given  for  and  against  a 
convention,  and  the  commanding  general,  to  whom  the  same  shall 
have  been  returned,  shall  ascertain  and  declare  the  total  vote  in 
each  State  for  and  against  a  convention.  If  a  majority  of  the  votes 
given  on  that  question  shall  be  for  a  convention,  then  such  conven- 
tion shall  be  held  as  hereinafter  provided ;  but  if  a  majority  of 
said  votes  shall  be  against  a  convention,  then  no  such  convention 
shall  be  held  under  this  act:  Provided,  That  such  convention 
shall  not  be  held  unless  a  majority  of  all  such  registered  voters 
shall  have  voted  on  the  question  holding  such  convention. 

SEO.  4.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That  the  commanding  gen- 
eral of  each  district  shall  appoint  as  many  boards  of  registration  as 
may  be  necessary,  consisting  of  three  loyal  officers  or  persons,  to 
make  and  complete  the  registration,  superintend  the  election,  and 
make  return  to  him  of  the  votes,  list  of  voters,  and  of  the  persons 
elected  as  delegates  by  a  plurality  of  the  votes  cast  at  said  election ; 
and  upon  receiving  said  returns  he  shall  open  the  same,  ascertain 
the  persons  elected  as  delegates,  according  to  the  returns  of  the 
officers  who  conducted  said  election,  and  make  proclamation  there- 
of ;  and  if  a  majority  of  votes  given  on  that  question  shall  be  for  a 
convention,  the  command  ing  general,  within  sixty  days  from  the  date 
of  election,  shall  notify  the  delegates  to  assemble  in  convention, 
at  a  time  and  place  to  be  mentioned  in  the  notification,  and  said  con- 
vention, when  organized,  shall  proceed  to  frame  a  constitution 
and  civil  government  according  to  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and 
the  act  to  which  it  is  supplementary ;  and,  when  the  same  shall 
have  been  so  framed,  said  constitution  shall  be  submitted  by  the 
convention  for  ratification  to  the  persons  registered  under  the 
provisions  of  this  act  at  an  election  to  be  conducted  by  the  offi- 
cers or  persons  appointed  or  to  be  appointed  by  the  commanding 
general,  as  hereinbefore  provided,  and  to  be  held  after  the  expira- 
tion of  thirty  days  from  the  date  of  notice  thereof,  to  be  given  by 
said  convention;  and  the  returns  thereof  shall  be  made  to  the 
commanding  general  of  the  district. 

SEO.  5.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That  if,  according  to  said  re- 
turns, the  constitution  shall  be  ratified  by  a  majority  of  the  votes 


THE   RECONSTRUCTION  ACTS.  289 

of  the  registered  electors,  qualified  as  herein  specified,  cast  at  said 
election,  at  least  one  half  of  all  the  registered  voters  voting  upon  the 
question  of  such  ratification,  the  president  of  the  convention  shall 
transmit  a  copy  of  the  same,  duly  certified,  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  who  shall  forthwith  transmit  the  same  to  Congress, 
if  then  in  session,  and  if  not  in  session,  then  immediately  upon  its 
next  assembling ;  and  if  it  shall  moreover  appear  to  Congress  that  the 
election  was  one  at  which  all  the  registered  and  qualified  electors 
in  the  State  had  an  opportunity  to  vote  freely  and  without  re- 
straint, fear,  or  the  influence  of  fraud ;  and  if  the  Congress  shall 
be  satisfied  that  such  constitution  meets  the  approval  of  a  majority 
of  all  the  qualified  electors  in  the  State,  and  if  the  said  constitution 
shall  be  declared  by  Congress  to  be  in  conformity  with  the  provis- 
ions of  the  act  to  which  this  is  supplementary,  and  the  other  pro- 
visions of  said  act  shall  have  been  complied  with,  and  the  said 
constitution  shall  be  approved  by  Congress,  the  State  shall  be  de- 
clared entitled  to  representation,  and  senators  and  representatives 
shall  be  admitted  therefrom  as  therein  provided. 

SEC.  6.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  elections  in  the  States 
mentioned  in  the  said  "  Act  to  provide  for  the  more  efficient  Gov- 
ernment of  the  Rebel  States,"  shall  during  the  operation  of  said 
act,  be  by  ballot ;  and  all  officers  making  the  said  registration  of 
voters  and  conducting  said  elections  shall,  before  entering  upon  the 
discharge  of  their  duties,  take  and  subscribe  the  oath  prescribed  by 
the  act  approved  July  second,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-two,  en- 
titled uAn  Act  to  prescribe  an  Oath  of  Office":  Provided,  That 
if  any  person  knowingly  and  falsely  take  and  subscribe  any  oath 
in  this  act  prescribed,  such  person  so  offending  and  being  thereof 
duly  convicted,  shall  be  subject  to  the  pains,  penalties,  and  disabili- 
ties which  by  law  are  provided  for  the  punishment  of  the  crime  of 
willful  and  corrupt  perjury. 

SEO.  7.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That  all  expenses  incurred  by 
the  several  commanding  generals,  or  by  virtue  of  any  orders  issued 
or  appointments  made  by  them,  under  or  by  virtue  of  this  act, 
shall  be  paid  out  of  any  moneys  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  ap- 
propriated. 

SEO.  8.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That  the  convention  for  each 
State  shall  prescribe  the  fees,  salary,  and  compensation  to  be  paid 
to  all  delegates  and  other  officers  and  agents  herein  authorized  or 
13 


290  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

necessary  to  carry  into  effect  the  purposes  of  this  act  not  herein 
otherwise  provided  for,  and  shall  provide  for  the  levy  and  collec- 
tion of  such  taxes  on  the  property  in  such  State  as  may  be  neces- 
sary to  pay  the  same. 

SEC.  9.  And  ~be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  word  "  Article,"  in 
the  sixth  section  of  the  act  to  which  this  is  supplementary,  shall  be 
construed  to  mean  "  section." 

SCHUTLER    COLFAX, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
B.  F.  WADE, 

President  of  the  Senate,  pro  tempore. 

(From  Vol.  XV,  "U.  S.  Statutes  at  Large,"  Chapter  XXX.) 

CHAPTER  XXX.  An  Act  supplementary  to  an  Act  entitled  "An 
Act  to  provide  for  the  more  efficient  Government  of  the  Rebel 
States,'1'1  passed  on  the  second  day  of  March,  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty -seven,  and  the  Act  supplementary  thereto,  passed  on 
the  twenty -third  day  of  March,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty  - 
seven. 

Be  it  enacted  ly  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  it  is  hereby 
declared  to  have  been  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  the  act  of  the 
second  day  of  March,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-seven, 
entitled  u  An  Act  to  provide  for  the  more  efficient  Government  of 
the  Eebel  States,"  and  of  the  act  supplementary  thereto,  passed  on 
the  twenty-third  of  March,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-seven,  that  the  governments  then  existing  in  the  Rebel 
States  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Missis- 
sippi, Alabama,  Louisiana,  Florida,  Texas,  and  Arkansas  were  not 
legal  State  governments;  and  that  thereafter  said  governments,  if 
continued,  were  to  be  continued  subject  in  all  respects  to  the  mili- 
tary commanders  of  the  respective  districts,  and  to  the  paramount 
authority  of  Congress. 

SEC.  2.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  the  commander  of  any 
district  named  in  said  act  shall  have  power,  subject  to  the  disap- 
proval of  the  General  of  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  and  to  have 
effect  till  disapproved,  whenever  in  the  opinion  of  such  comman- 
der the  proper  administration  of  said  act  shall  require  it,  to  sus- 


THE  RECONSTRUCTION  ACTS.  291 

pend  or  remove  from  office,  or  from  the  performance  of  official 
duties  and  the  exercise  of  official  powers,  any  officer  or  person 
holding  or  exercising,  or  professing  to  hold  or  exercise,  any  civil  or 
military  office  or  duty  in  such  district  under  any  power,  election, 
appointment,  or  authority  derived  from,  or  granted  by,  or  claimed 
under,  any  so-called  State  or  the  government  thereof,  or  any  muni- 
cipal or  other  division  thereof;  and  upon  such  suspension  or  removal 
such  commander,  subject  to  the  disapproval  of  the  General  as  afore- 
said, shall  have  power  to  provide  from  time  to  time  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  said  duties  of  such  officer  or  person  so  suspended 
or  removed,  by  the  detail  of  some  competent  officer  or  soldier  of 
the  army,  or  by  the  appointment  of  some  other  person,  to  perform 
the  same,  and  to  fill  vacancies  occasioned  by  death,  resignation,  or 
otherwise. 

SEO.  3.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  the  General  of  the 
Army  of  the  United  States  shall  be  invested  with  all  the  powers  of 
suspension,  removal,  appointment,  and  detail  granted  in  the  preced- 
ing section  to  district  commanders. 

SEO.  4.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  the  acts  of  the  officers 
of  the  army  already  done  in  removing  in  said  districts  persons  exer- 
cising the  functions  of  civil  officers,  and  appointing  others  in  their 
stead,  are  hereby  confirmed :  Provided,  That  any  person  heretofore 
or  hereafter  appointed  by  any  district  commander  to  exercise  the 
functions  of  any  civil  office,  may  be  removed  either  by  the  military 
officer  in  command  of  the  district,  or  by  the  General  of  the  Army. 
And  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  such  commander  to  remove  from  office 
as  aforesaid  all  persons  who  are  disloyal  to  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  or  who  use  their  official  influence  in  any  manner  to 
hinder,  delay,  prevent,  or  obstruct  the  due  and  proper  administra- 
tion of  this  act  and  the  acts  to  which  it  is  supplementary. 

SEO.  5.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  the  boards  of  registra- 
tion provided  for  in  the  act  entitled  "An  Act  supplementary  to  an 
Act  entitled  'An  act  to  provide  for  the  more  efficient  government 
of  the  Rebel  States,'  passed  March  two,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven,  and  to  facilitate  restoration,"  passed  March  twenty-three, 
eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-seven,  shall  have  power,  and  it  shall  be 
their  duty,  before  allowing  the  registration  of  any  person,  to  ascer- 
tain upon  such  facts  or  information  as  they  can  obtain,  whether 
such  person  is  entitled  to  be  registered  under  said  act,  and  the  oath 


292  LIFE  OP  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

required  by  said  act  shall  not  be  conclusive  on  such  question,  and 
no  person  shall  be  registered  unless  such  board  shall  decide  that  he  is 
entitled  thereto:  and  such  board  shall  also  have  power  to  examine, 
under  oath  (to  be  administered  by  any  member  of  such  board),  any 
one  touching  the  qualification  of  any  person  claiming  registration ; 
but  in  every  case  of  refusal  by  the  board  to  register  an  applicant, 
and  in  every  case  of  striking  his  name  from  the  list  as  hereinafter 
provided,  the  board  shall  make  a  note  or  memorandum,  which  shall 
be  returned  with  the  registration  list  to  the  commanding  general 
of  the  district,  setting  forth  the  grounds  of  such  refusal  or  such 
striking  from  the  list :  Provided,  That  no  person  shall  be  disquali- 
fied as  member  of  any  board  of  registration  by  reason  of  race  or 
color. 

SEO.  6.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That  the  true  intent  and 
meaning  of  the  oath  prescribed  in  said  supplementary  act  is  (among 
other  things),  that  no  person  who  has  been  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  any  State,  or  who  has  held  any  executive  or  judicial  office 
in  any  State,  whether  he  has  taken  an  oath  to  support  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  or  not,  and  whether  he  was  holding 
such  office  at  the  commencement  of  the  rebellion  or  had  held  it 
before,  and  who  was  afterward  engaged  in  insurrection  or  rebel- 
lion against  the  United  States,  or  given  aid  or  comfort  to  the  ene- 
mies thereof,  is  entitled  to  be  registered  or  to  vote ;  and  the  words 
"  executive  or  judicial  office  in  any  State  "  in  said  oath  mentioned 
shall  be  construed  to  include  all  civil  offices  created  by  law  for  the 
administration  of  any  general  law  of  a  State,  or  for  the  administra- 
tion of  justice. 

SEO.  7.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  time  for  completing 
the  original  registration  provided  for  in  said  act  may,  in  the  discre- 
tion of  the  commander  of  any  district,  be  extended  to  the  first  day 
of  October,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-seven ;  and  the  boards  of 
registration  shall  have  power,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty,  commenc- 
ing fourteen  days  prior  to  any  election  under  said  act,  and  upon 
reasonable  public  notice  of  the  time  and  place  thereof  to  revise,  for 
a  period  of  five  days,  the  registration  lists,  and  upon  being  satisfied 
that  any  person  not  entitled  thereto  has  been  registered,  to  strike 
the  name  of  such  person  from  the  list,  and  such  person  shall  not  be 
allowed  to  vote.  And  such  board  shall  also,  during  the  same 
period,  add  to  such  registry  the  names  of  all  persons  who  at  that 


THE  RECONSTRUCTION  ACTS.  293 

time  possessed  the  qualifications  required  by  said  act  who  have  not 
been  already  registered :  and  no  person  shall,  at  any  time,  be  en- 
titled to  be  registered  or  to  vote  by  reason  of  any  executive  pardon 
or  amnesty  for  any  act  or  thing  which,  without  such  pardon  or 
amnesty,  would  disqualify  him  from  registration  or  voting. 

SEC.  8.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That  section  four  of  said  last- 
named  act  shall  be  construed  to  authorize  the  commanding  general 
named  therein,  whenever  he  shall  deem  it  needful,  to  remove  any 
member  of  a  board  of  registration  and  to  appoint  another  in  his 
stead,  and  to  fill  any  vacancy  in  such  board. 

SEO.  9.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  members  of  said 
board  of  registration,  and  all  persons  hereafter  elected  or  appointed 
to  office  in  said  military  districts,  under  any  so-called  state  or  muni- 
cipal authority,  or  by  detail  or  appointment  of  the  district  com- 
manders, shall  be  required  to  take  and  to  subscribe  to  the  oath  of 
office  prescribed  by  law  for  officers  of  the  United  States. 

SEO.  10.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  no  district  commander 
or  member  of  the  board  of  registration,  or  any  of  the  officers  or 
appointees  acting  under  them,  shall  be  bound  in  his  action  by  any 
opinion  of  any  civil  officer  of  the  United  States. 

SEO.  11.  And  le  it  further  enacted,  That  all  the  provisions  of 
this  act  and  of  the  acts  to  which  this  is  supplementary  shall  be  con- 
strued liberally,  to  the  end  that  all  the  intents  thereof  may  be  fully 
and  perfectly  carried  out. 

SOHUYLEE   OOLFAX, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
B.  F.  WADE, 

Speaker  of  the  Senate,  pro  tempore. 


Fully  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  these  acts,  Gen- 
eral Hancock  was  guided  in  his  after  course  by  his  own 
judgment,  sense  of  duty,  and  conscientious  interpretation 
of  the  Constitution  and  the  law.  While  on  the  steam- 
boat which  was  carrying  him  to  New  Orleans,  he  drew 
up  in  his  own  handwriting  the  military  order  which  has 
since  become  celebrated  as  "  Order  No.  40,"  and  of 
which  the  following  is  an  exact  copy : 


294  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

"HEADQUARTERS,  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT, 

"  NEW  ORLEANS,  LA.,  November  29,  1867. 
"  GENERAL  ORDERS,  No.  40. 

"  I.  In  accordance  with  General  Orders,  No.  81,  Headquarters 
of  the  Army,  Adjutant-General's  Office,  Washington,  D.  C.,  August 
27,  1867,  Major-General  W.  S.  Hancock  hereby  assumes  command 
of  the  Fifth  Military  District,  and  of  the  Department  composed  of 
the  States  of  Louisiana  and  Texas. 

"  II.  The  General  Commanding  is  gratified  to  learn  that  peace 
and  quiet  reign  in  this  department.  It  will  be  his  purpose  to 
preserve  this  condition  of  things.  As  a  means  to  this  great  end  he 
requires  the  maintenance  of  the  civil  authorities,  and  the  faithful 
execution  of  the  laws  as  the  most  efficient  under  existing  circum- 
stances. 

"  In  war  it  is  indispensable  to  repel  force  by  force,  to  overthrow 
and  destroy  opposition  to  lawful  authority  ;  but  when  insurrection- 
ary force  has  been  overthrown  and  peace  established,  and  the  civil 
authorities  are  ready  and  willing  to  perform  their  duties,  the  mili- 
tary power  should  cease  to  lead,  and  the  civil  administration  resume 
its  natural  and  rightful  dominion.  Solemnly  impressed  with  these 
views,  the  General  announces  that  the  great  principles  of  American 
liberty  are  still  the  inheritance  of  this  people,  and  ever  should  be. 
The  right  of  trial  by  jury,  the  habeas  corpus,  the  liberty  of  the  press, 
the  freedom  of  speech,  the  natural  rights  of  persons,  and  the  rights 
of  property  must  be  preserved. 

"Free  institutions,  while  they  are  essential  to  the  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  the  people,  always  furnish  the  strongest  inducements 
to  peace  and  order.  Crimes  and  offenses  committed  in  this  district 
must  be  left  to  the  consideration  and  judgment  of  the  regular  civil 
tribunals,  and  those  tribunals  will  be  supported  in  their  lawful  juris- 
diction. 

"  Should  there  be  violations  of  existing  laws  which  are  not  in- 
quired into  by  the  civil  magistrates,  or  should  failures  in  the  admin- 
istration of  justice  be  complained  of,  the  cases  will  be  reported  to 
these  headquarters,  when  such  orders  will  be  made  as  maybe  deemed 
necessary. 

"  While  the  General  thus  indicates  his  purpose  to  respect  the 
liberties  of  the  people,  he  wishes  all  to  understand  that  armed  insur- 
rection or  forcible  resistance  to  the  law  will  be  instantly  suppressed 
by  arms." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Fifth  Military  District — General  Hancock's  Powers — President  Lincoln's 
Theory  of  Reconstruction — Flattering  Recognition  of  Order  No.  40 — 
Internal  Questions  in  Louisiana  and  Texas — General  Hancock's  Treat- 
ment of  them — Extracts  from  his  Orders  while  in  New  Orleans — Gen- 
eral Hancock's  Course  obnoxious  to  the  Radicals — They  determine  on 
his  Removal — James  A.  Garfield's  Bill  reducing  the  Number  of  Major- 
Generals — Petty  Annoyances — General  Hancock  applies  to  be  Relieved 
— Relieved  of  his  Command  March  18,  1868. 

IT  will  have  been  seen  by  reference  to  the  Reconstruc- 
tion Acts,  that  under  those  laws  General  Hancock  had  now 
become  the  absolute  ruler  of  two  great  States — Louisiana 
and  Texas — he  had  power  to  remove  civil  magistrates 
and  suppress  the  local  tribunals,  to  establish  military  com- 
missions and  suspend  the  civil  laws ;  such  were  the  un- 
limited and  dangerous  powers  conferred  upon  the  military 
commanders  of  the  several  districts  in  the  Southern  coun- 
try by  those  unparalleled  acts  under  which  they  were  to 
perform  their  functions.  It  is  just  to  observe  here  that, 
had  President  Lincoln  lived,  no  such  laws  as  these  would 
have  been  enacted,  for  it  is  known  that  he  had  indicated 
the  theory  of  reconstruction  which  he  designed  to  carry 
out,  and  which  he  certainly  would  have  carried  out.  His 
theory,  as  announced  by  himself,  was  that  the  States 
which  attempted  to  secede  had  not  succeeded  in  getting 
out  of  the  Union,  that  the  rebellion  was  a  failure,  that 
our  brave  armies  had  preserved  the  Union,  and  that,  when 


296  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  military  power  of  the  Confederacy  was  broken,  the 
several  States  which  had  for  a  time  swerved  from  their 
course  in  our  national  system,  fell  back  naturally  into 
their  normal  orbits,  and  were  to  be  treated  as  States  and 
members  of  the  National  Union.  All  he  insisted  upon, 
and  all  he  believed  Congress  had  a  right  to  exact,  was 
obedience  to  the  Constitution  and  to  the  laws  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  future  guarantee  of  which  he  re- 
quired State  pledges,  and  the  placing  of  such  men  in  au- 
thority as  would  promote  future  loyalty  to  the  General 
Government.  He  certainly  never  dreamed  of  reducing 
the  seceded  States  to  a  territorial  condition,  or  of  treating 
them  as  conquered  countries  whose  destinies  would  be  ar- 
bitrarily determined  by  the  central  Government,  irrespec- 
tive of  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution,  and  regardless 
of  those  principles  which  Americans  had  always  held  to 
be  fundamental  in  free  governments.  The  President 
never  swerved  from  the  conviction  "  that  free  govern- 
ments derived  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the 
governed,"  and,  had  he  lived,  the  harsh  measures  which 
the  extreme  radicals  in  Congress  adopted  would  never 
have  been  inaugurated. 

President  Johnson  was  disposed  to  carry  out  the  known 
plans  of  his  predecessor,  and  attempted  to  do  so,  but  va- 
rious causes  conspired  to  embarrass  and  thwart  his  efforts, 
one  of  these  being  that,  as  a  Southern  man,  he  had  not  the 
full  confidence  and  cooperation  of  the  extreme  wing  of  the 
Republican  party;  another  that  he  had  not  the  strong 
hold  which  his  predecessor  had  upon  the  confidence  and 
affection  of  the  country,  and  hence  could  not  exert  the 
power  that  could  readily  have  been  exercised  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. 

J.  "Wilkes  Booth  proved  himself  the  worst  enemy  the 


THE  SOUTHERN  SITUATION.  297 

South  ever  had,  by  assassinating  the  only  man  who  could 
have  restored  the  Union  upon  constitutional  principles  ; 
for  by  that  fatal  shot  he  opened  the  way  for  bringing  to 
the  front  the  most  violent  partisans,  who  for  a  time  ab- 
sorbed the  national  authority  and  influence,  and  swayed 
the  fortunes  of  the  country  according  to  their  own  in- 
terests and  their  own  desires. 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  previous  to  the  time  Gen- 
eral Hancock  assumed  command  at  New  Orleans,  Con- 
gress had  parceled  out  the  South  into  a  number  of  mili- 
tary districts,  and  appointed  over  each  a  military  governor 
clothed  with  despotic  powers,  which  we  have  described. 
This  action  of  Congress  seemed  to  be  based  upon  the  as- 
sumption that  the  Southern  people  had  forfeited  all  their 
constitutional  liberties,  and  were  not  entitled  to  any  of 
the  civil  rights  of  freemen.  This  doctrine  was  openly 
avowed  upon  the  floors  of  Congress,  in  the  press,  and 
elsewhere,  notwithstanding  that  it  was  palpably  at  war 
with  all  ideas  of  political  advancement,  and  with  the  very 
principles  of  our  own  Revolution,  and  upon  which  we 
became  an  independent  country.  On  such  a  foundation 
were  enacted  the  harsh  and  unreasonable  laws  we  have 
quoted,  and  which  were  generally  enforced  throughout 
the  South ;  but,  as  has  been  indicated  in  his  "  General 
Order  No.  40,"  and  as  was  the  case  during  his  control  of 
affairs  in  Louisiana  and  Texas,  General  Hancock  gave  a 
liberal  interpretation  to  these  laws,  in  strict  conformity 
with  Section  11,  of  the  Act  last  quoted,  which  was  passed 
after  General  Hancock  left  the  Fifth  Military  District, 
his  first  action,  in  issuing  the  order  in  question,  being  to 
proclaim  that  the  Constitution  had  not  perished  amid  the 
clash  of  arms,  but  was  still  the  fundamental  law  of  the  whole 
land  and  the  palladium  of  the  civil  rights  of  all  the  people. 


298  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Here,  and  in  reference  to  this  remarkable  order,  it  is 
to  be  observed  that  it  elicited  many  expressions  of  appro- 
bation from  different  parts  of  the  country,  only  one  of 
which  we  are  able  to  give  in  this  place,  written  by  Hon. 
J.  S.  Black,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the  day  following  the 
date  of  the  issuing  of  General  Orders,  No.  40,  or  immedi- 
ately after  the  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  this  order  had 
reached  Washington  by  telegraph.  It  is  as  follows : 

"  WASHINGTON,  November  30,  1867. 

"  MY  DEAR  GENERAL  :  This  moment  I  read  your  admirable  or- 
der. I  am  much  engaged,  but  I  can  not  resist  the  temptation  to  steal 
time  enough  from  rny  clients  to  tell  you  how  grateful  you  have 
made  me  by  your  patriotic  and  noble  words.  Yours  is  the  most  dis- 
tinct and  most  emphatic  recognition  which  the  principles  of  Ameri- 
can liberty  have  received  at  the  hands  of  any  high  officer  in  a 
Southern  command.  It  has  the  very  ring  of  the  Revolutionary 
metal.  "Washington  never  said  a  thing  in  better  taste  or  at  a  better 
time.  It  will  prove  to  all  men  that  *  peace  hath  her  victories  not 
less  renowned  than  those  of  war.' 

"  I  congratulate  you,  not  because  it  will  make  you  the  most  pop- 
ular man  in  America,  for  I  dare  say  you  care  nothing  about  that, 
but  it  will  give  you  through  all  time  the  solid  reputation  of  a  true 
patriot  and  a  sincere  lover  of  your  country,  its  laws,  and  its  govern- 
ment ;  this,  added  to  your  brilliant  achievements  as  a  soldier,  will 
leave  you  without  a  rival  in  the  affections  of  all  whose  good  will  is 
worth  having,  and  give  you  a  place  in  history  which  your  children 
will  be  proud  of. 

"  This  acknowledgment  from  me  does  not  amount  to  much,  but 
I  am  expressing  only  the  feelings  of  millions,  and  expressing  them 
feebly  at  that.  With  profound  respect, 

"  Yours,  etc., 

(Signed)  "J.S.  BLACK." 

"  Major-General  W.  S.  HANCOCK." 

The  determination  to  leave  all  public  or  private  griev- 
ances, which  should  be  brought  before  him  in  his  com- 


GENERAL  HANCOCK'S  ORDERS.  299 

mand,  to  the  civil  authorities,  and  to  restrain  the  military 
power  from  unnecessary  interference  with  them,  which 
General  Hancock  had  formed  when  he  undertook  the 
command,  and  had  expressed  in  his  Order  No.  40,  was 
carried  out  in  practice  in  every  case  that  came  before 
him.  Quotations  from  certain  of  his  orders  indicating 
this  are  pertinent : 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT,  NEW  ORLEANS, 

"LOUISIANA,  December  4,  1867. 
"  SPECIAL  ORDERS,  No.  202. 

"Extract. 

"II.  Paragraph  III  of  Special  Order  No.  188,  from  these  head- 
quarters, dated  November  16,  1867,  issued  by  Brevet-General 
Mower,  removing  P.  R.  O'Rourke,  Olerk  of  Second  District  Court, 
Parish  of  Orleans,  for  malfeasance  in  office,  and  appointing  R.  L. 
Shelley  in  his  place,  is  hereby  revoked,  and  P.  R.  O'Rourke  is  rein- 
stated in  said  office.  If  any  charges  are  set  up  against  the  said 
O'Rourke,  the  Judicial  Department  of  the  Government  is  sufficient 
to  take  whatever  action  may  be  necessary  in  the  premises. 

"  By  command  of  MAJOB-GENEBAL  HANCOCK." 

[Official.] 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT, 

"NEW  ORLEANS,  December  6,  1867. 
"SPECIAL  ORDERS,  No.  208. 

"  Extract. 

"  II.  The  true  and  proper  use  of  the  military  power,  besides  de- 
fending the  national  honor  against  foreign  nations,  is  to  uphold  the 
laws  and  civil  government,  and  to  secure  to  every  person  residing 
among  us  the  enjoyment  of  life,  liberty,  and  property.  It  is  accord- 
ingly made  by  act  of  Congress  the  duty  of  the  commander  of  this 
district  to  protect  all  persons  in  those  rights,  to  suppress  disorder 
and  violence,  and  to  punish,  or  cause  to  be  punished,  all  disturbance 
of  the  public  peace,  and  all  crimes. 

"  The  Commanding  General  has  been  informed  that  the  admin- 
istration of  justice,  and  especially  of  criminal  justice,  in  the  courts, 


300  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

is  clogged,  if  not  entirely  prostrated,  by  the  enforcement  of  Para- 
graph No.  II,  of  the  Military  Order  No.  125,  current  series,  from 
these  headquarters,  issued  on  the  24th  of  August,  1867,  relative  to 
qualifications  of  persons  to  be  placed  on  the  jury  list  of  the  State  of 
Louisiana.  To  determine  who  shall  and  who  shall  not  be  jurors 
appertains  to  the  legislative  power,  and  until  the  laws  in  existence 
regulating  this  subject  shall  be  amended  or  changed  by  that  depart- 
ment of  the  civil  government,  which  the  constitution  of  all  the 
States  vests  with  that  power,  it  is  deemed  best  to  carry  out  the  will 
of  the  people  as  expressed  in  the  last  legislative  act  upon  this  sub- 
ject. The  qualification  of  a  juror  under  the  law  is  a  proper  subject 
for  the  decision  of  the  courts. 

"  The  Commanding  General  in  the  discharge  of  the  trust  reposed 
in  him  will  maintain  the  just  power  of  the  judiciary,  and  is  unwilling 
to  permit  the  civil  authority  and  laws  to  be  embarrassed  by  military 
interference ;  and,  as  it  is  an  established  fact  that  the  administration 
of  justice  in  the  criminal  tribunals  is  greatly  embarrassed  by  the 
operation  of  Paragraph  No.  II,  Special  Orders,  No.  125,  current 
series,  from  these  headquarters,  it  is  ordered  that  this  said  order,  with 
said  paragraph,  which  relates  to  the  qualifications  of  persons  to  be 
placed  on  the  jury  list,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  revoked,  and  that 
trial  by  jury  be  henceforth  regulated  and  controlled  by  the  Constitu- 
tion and  civil  laws,  without  regard  to  any  military  orders  heretofore 
issued. 

"By  command  of  MAJOR-GENERAL  HANCOCK." 

[Official.] 

Another  extract,  this  time  from  Special  Orders,  "No. 
211,  sustains  the  jurisdiction  of  the  civil  courts  over  the 
rights  of  private  property.  It  is  as  follows : 

"IV.  Paragraph  III,  of  Special  Orders,  No.  197,  current  series, 
from  these  headquarters,  issued  by  Brevet-General  J.  A.  Mower,  in 
the  matter  of  the  estate  of  D.  B.  Staats,  is  hereby  revoked.  The 
local  tribunal  possesses  ample  power  for  the  protection  of  all  parties 
concerned." 

Another,  being  Special  Order  No.  213,  secures  the 


A  STAY  LAW  WANTED.  301 

purity  of  elections  and  forbids  military  interference  at 
the  polls.    It  is  as  follows : 

"  In  compliance  with  the  supplementary  Act  of  Congress  of  March 
23,  1867,  notice  is  hereby  given  that  an  election  will  he  held  in  the 
State  of  Texas,  on  the  10th,  llth,  12th,  13th,  and  14th  days  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1868,  to  determine  whether  a  convention  shall  be  held  and 
for  delegates  thereto,  to  frame  a  *  constitution '  for  the  State  under 
said  Act. 

"  IX.  Military  interference  with  elections,  unless  it  shall  be  neces- 
sary to  keep  the  peace  at  the  polls,  is  prohibited  by  law,  and  no 
soldiers  will  be  allowed  to  appear  at  any  polling  place  unless  as  citi- 
zens of  the  State  they  are  registered  as  voters,  and  then  only  for 
the  purpose  of  voting. 

"  X.  The  sheriff  and  other  peace  officers  from  each  county  are 
required  to  be  present  until  the  election  shall  be  completed,  and  are 
made  responsible  for  good  order." 

The  Hon.  E.  Heath,  Mayor  of  New  Orleans,  having  ad- 
dressed a  communication  to  the  General,  requesting  his 
intervention  in  State  suits  against  the  city  on  its  notes,  the 
General  directed  his  secretary  for  civil  affairs  to  transmit 
his  (the  GeneraPs)  reply.  In  this  reply  the  General  respect- 
fully declines  interfering  in  the  way  desired,  and  assigns 
reasons  for  so  declining.  These  reasons  are  briefly  : 

"  1.  An  order  would  be  in  effect  a  stay  law  in  favor 
of  the  city,  which  under  the  Constitution  could  not  be 
enacted  by  the  legislature  of  the  State,  while  the  com- 
mander of  the  district  ought  not  to  assume  such  an  au- 
thority. 

"  2.  This  debt,  though  illegal  at  first,  had  been  legal- 
ized by  the  legislature,  and  the  city  was  bound  to  pay  it. 

"3.  The  inability  to  pay,  which  was  assigned  as  a 
reason  for  asking  military  interference,  was  no  valid  rea- 
son, for  all  debtors  might  plead  the  same. 


302  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

"  4.  That  as  the  taxes  due  the  city  could  not  be  seized 
by  her  creditors,  there  was  no  necessity  for  the  interven- 
tion invoked." 

In  the  matter  of  the  trial  of  offenses  against  the  laws 
of  the  State  by  military  commissions,  General  Hancock 
took  equally  wise  and  conservative  ground.  He  was 
urged  by  Judge  Noonan,  by  Governor  Pease,  and  others 
of  the  State  of  Texas,  to  appoint  military  commissions 
to  try  three  prisoners,  Wall,  Thatcher,  and  Pulliam, 
charged  with  murder.  Earnest  reasons  were  urged  for 
his  acquiescence  in  their  request,  but  the  General  refused 
to  use  military  power  in  cases  where  civil  tribunals  could 
perform  their  functions,  and  in  a  well-considered  re- 
sponse assigned  reasons  for  the  refusal.  This  paper  is 
an  admirable  one.  It  recites  the  acts  of  Congress  under 
which  his  intervention  was  invoked,  and  shows  that,  al- 
though these  gave  a  military  commander  in  a  certain  con- 
dition of  things  power  to  punish  criminals  and  all  dis- 
turbers of  the  public  peace,  under  the  same  section  is 
declared,  "  To  that  end  he  may  allow  local  civil  tribunals 
to  assume  the  jurisdiction,  and  try  offenders." 

The  paper  further  sets  forth  that  the  power  to  organ- 
ize military  commissions  for  the  trial  of  criminals  was 
an  extraordinary  power,  and  should  be  exercised  only 
when  the  local  civil  tribunals  are  unable  or  unwilling  to 
enforce  the  laws  against  crime. 

He  further  urged  that  the  State  government  of  Tex- 
as, organized  under  the  authority  of  the  United  States, 
was  then  in  the  full  exercise  of  its  powers,  the  courts 
in  full  operation,  no  unwillingness  had  been  shown  by 
them  tD  perform  their  duties,  nor  were  there  any  obstruc- 
tions in  the  way  of  enforcing  the  laws  by  civil  authority. 
Under  such  circumstances  there  were  no  good  grounds 


INTEGRITY  OF  THE  CIVIL  LAWS.  303 

for  the  exercise  of  the  extraordinary  power  vested  in  the 
commander  to  organize  military  commissions  for  the  trial 
of  the  persons  named.  The  paper  went  on  to  say,  "  It 
must  be  a  matter  of  profound  regret  to  all  who  value 
constitutional  government,  that  there  should  be  occasions 
in  times  of  civil  commotion  when  the  public  good  imper- 
atively requires  the  intervention  of  military  power  for 
the  repression  of  disorders  in  the  body  politic,  and  for 
the  punishment  of  offenses  against  existing  laws,  framed 
for  the  preservation  of  social  order ;  but  that  the  inter- 
vention of  this  power  should  be  called  for  or  even  sug- 
gested by  civil  magistrates  when  the  laws  are  no  longer 
silent,  and  civil  magistrates  are  possessed  of  all  the  pow- 
ers necessary  to  give  effect  to  the  laws,  excites  the  sur- 
prise of  the  commander  of  the  Fifth  Military  District.  In 
his  view,  it  is  an  evil  example,  and  full  of  danger  to  the 
cause  of  freedom  and  good  government,  that  the  exercise 
of  the  military  power  through  military  tribunals,  created 
for  the  trial  of  offenses  against  civil  law,  should  ever  be 
permitted  when  the  ordinary  powers  of  the  existing  State 
governments,  if  faithfully  administered,  are  ample  to  the 
punishment  of  offenders." 

The  General  concluded  by  assuring  the  authorities 
that,  if  they  had  not  force  enough  to  retain  the  prisoners 
until  they  could  be  tried,  he  (the  General)  would  supply 
it  upon  proper  application,  and  that,  if  there  were  not 
citizens  of  Texas  in  sufficient  number  and  of  proper  quali- 
fications to  furnish  officers  for  enforcing  the  laws  of  the 
State,  it  would  then  become  necessary  for  the  commander 
of  the  Fifth  District  to  exercise  the  powers  vested  in  him 
by  the  acts  of  Congress,  but  until  such  was  shown  to  ex- 
ist it  was  not  his  purpose  to  interfere. 

General  Hancock  was  also  applied  to,  to  set  aside  elec- 


304:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

tions  by  the  people  which  were  alleged  to  be  irregular, 
and  to  assume  the  appointing  power  himself ;  but,  in  a 
letter  written  by  his  direction,  he  declined  to  interpose 
his  authority,  and  advised  that,  in  case  there  were  vitiating 
irregularities  in  elections,  they  be  referred  to  the  people 
to  rectify  by  a  new  election. 

Governor  B.  F.  Flanders  had,  on  the  llth  of  Decem- 
ber, 1867,  addressed  a  communication  to  General  Han- 
cock, suggesting  that,  in  the  exercise  of  his  powers  as 
commander  of  the  district,  he  should  remove  from  office 
certain  officials — the  police  jury — for  alleged  malfeasance 
in  office.  In  reply  General  Hancock  reminded  the  Gov- 
ernor that  removals  from  office  were  not  to  be  made  with- 
out judicial  investigation,  and  that  the  courts  of  justice 
could  very  easily  furnish  relief  for  the  evils  complained  of. 

In  view  of  these  applications  to  him  as  commander 
for  the  exercise  of  judicial  functions,  General  Hancock, 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1868,  issued  General  Orders,  ISTo. 
1.  The  following  is  a  quotation  from  this  order  : 

"  Applications  have  been  made  at  these  headquarters, 
implying  the  existence  of  an  arbitrary  authority  in  the 
Commanding  General  touching  purely  civil  controversies. 
One  petitioner  solicits  this  action,  another  that,  and  each 
refers  to  some  special  consideration  of  grace  or  favor 
which  he  supposes  to  exist,  and  which  should  influence 
the  department.  The  number  of  these  applications.  .  . 
makes  it  necessary  to  declare  that  the  administration  of 
civil  justice  appertains  to  the  regular  courts.  The  rights 
of  litigants  do  not  depend  upon  the  views  of  the  General ; 
they  are  to  be  judged  and  settled  according  to  the  laws. 
Arbitrary  power,  such  as  he  has  been  urged  to  assume, 
has  no  existence  here.  It  is  not  found  in  the  laws  of 


DIFFICULTIES  OF  ADMINISTRATION.  305 

Louisiana  or  of  Texas ;  it  can  not  be  derived  from  any  act 
of  Congress.  It  is  restrained  by  the  Constitution.  .  .  . 
The  Major-General  commanding  takes  occasion  to  repeat 
that,  while  disclaiming  judicial  functions  in  civil  cases,  he 
can  suffer  no  forcible  resistance  to  the  execution  of  pro- 
cesses of  the  courts." 

General  Hancock  had  been  applied  to  by  Chief  En- 
gineer Henry  Van  Yleet,  of  the  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  and 
Chattanooga  Railroad  Company,  to  issue  a  certain  order  in 
behalf  of  the  said  company.  In  declining  to  issue  such 
an  order,  the  General,  in  his  reply,  dated  January  2, 
1868,  says : 

"  The  order  asked  for  embraces  questions  of  the  most 
important  and  delicate  nature,  such  as  the  exercise  of  the 
right  of  eminent  domain,  the  obstruction  of  navigable 
rivers  or  outlets,  etc.,  and  it  appears  to  him  very  question- 
able whether  he  ought  to  deal  with  questions  of  that  kind ; 
nor  is  it  clear  that  any  benefit  could  result  to  the  company 
from  such  an  order." 

After  suggesting  that  the  State  of  Louisiana  was  the 
proper  authority  to  grant  the  request,  the  General  declined 
to  take  action  in  the  matter,  but  offered,  if  it  was  desired, 
to  send  the  papers  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Pages  might  be  filled  with  the  recital  of  the  arduous 
and  complicated  and  delicate  duties  which  General  Han- 
cock was  now  called  upon  to  perform  in  the  difficult  prob- 
lem which  he  was  required  to  solve  in  the  administration 
of  the  affairs  of  the  Fifth  Military  District.  Every  spe- 
cies of  order  was  sought  from  him ;  and,  had  he  chosen 
to  use  the  almost  absolute  power  conferred  upon  the  dis- 


306  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

trict  commanders,  as  some  others  did,  he  might  have  made 
history  very  rapidly,  and  of  a  very  sensational  character ; 
but  he  met  every  issue  that  was  raised,  and  every  attempt 
that  was  made  upon  him,  with  that  cool  and  calm  judg- 
ment, keen  foresight,  and  unswerving  regard  for  the  law 
and  the  right  which  have  always  characterized  him. 
Civil  issues  he  left  to  the  civil  tribunals,  and  his  entire 
administration  demonstrated  that  he  was  resolved,  as  far 
as  possible,  to  keep  the  military  subordinate  to  the  civil 
power ;  that  he  sought  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  district, 
the  welfare  of  its  people,  and  the  good  of  the  whole 
country.  The  civil  record  of  General  Hancock  in  his 
wide  and  important  command  was  as  wise,  conservative, 
and  beneficent  as  his  military  record  had  been  glorious. 
His  orders  during  his  administration  surprise  one  by 
their  exhibition  of  a  thorough  familiarity  with  the  great 
principles  of  law  and  civil  polity,  such  as  would  not  be 
expected  in  a  professional  soldier.  He  always  seemed  to 
have  an  intuition,  in  the  most  critical  crisis,  of  the  right 
thing  to  be  done,  and  his  execution  was  as  skillful  and  as 
effective  as  his  perceptions-  were  clear,  comprehensive, 
and  correct. 

The  nature  of  the  Reconstruction  Acts  has  been  suf- 
ficiently set  forth,  and  the  character  of  the  administration 
which  was  expected  of  the  commanders  who  were  ap- 
pointed to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  these  in  the  South- 
ern States  has  been  sufficiently  indicated  by  what  has  been 
shown  of  the  nature  of  the  demands  made  upon  General 
Hancock.  In  the  appointment  to  the  command  of  most 
of  the  Southern  military  districts,  sufficient  care  had  been 
taken  to  ensure  the  proper  carrying  out  of  the  wishes  of 
those  who  had  succeeded  in  framing  and  passing  the  Re- 
construction Acts.  Happily  for  the  communities  over 


INTRIGUES  AT  WASHINGTON.  307 

which  General  Hancock  was  called  to  rule,  here  was  at 
least  one  man  who  determined  to  uphold  constitutional 
liberty  and  the  rights  of  the  citizen  under  the  laws. 
Hancock  was  a  man  too  magnanimous  and  too  just  to  do 
otherwise ;  and,  accordingly,  when  appointed  military 
Governor  of  Texas  and  Louisiana,  he  put  the  most  merci- 
ful interpretation  upon  the  Reconstruction  Laws,  and 
administered  the  affairs  of  his  district  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  promote  the  happiness  of  the  people,  and  to  recon- 
cile them  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  But 
this  course  did  not  suit  the  men  who  enacted  those  laws, 
and  who  had  grasped  control  at  Washington.  Moreover, 
it  was  beginning  to  be  perceived  that  General  Hancock 
was  becoming  popular  with  the  people.  A  presidential 
election  was  about  to  occur,  and  it  was  not  impossible 
that  he  should  become  a  formidable  impediment  in  the 
way  of  the  schemes  of  the  ultra  radicals,  or  a  dangerous 
rival  to  those  ambitious  men  who  craved  the  nomination 
to  that  high  office.  Altogether,  the  controlling  powers  at 
Washington  were  not  satisfied  with  the  quiet,  conservative, 
orderly,  and  energetic  manner  in  which  Hancock  was 
administering  the  government  of  the  district  under  his 
command,  or  rather  permitting  the  civil  authorities  to  ad- 
minister it.  This  was  not  according  to  their  programme 
of  restoration ;  and,  when  they  learned,  moreover,  to  their 
deep  regret,  that  General  Hancock's  wise  and  concilia- 
tory administration  was  winning  him  golden  opinions 
— not  only  from  the  people  placed  under  his  control, 
but  from  all  rightly  judging  persons  the  country  over — 
they  determined  upon  his  removal.  The  course  followed 
to  this  end  was  characteristic  of  those  who  had  it  in 
charge.  General  Garfield,  the  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Military  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Representa- 


308  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

tives,  introduced  a  bill  to  reduce  the  number  of  major- 
generals  in  the  army,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  ousting 
General  Hancock.  The  bill,  however,  was  never  pressed 
to  its  passage,  those  friendly  to  it  fearing  that  it  would 
excite  a  public  demonstration  in  favor  of  the  persecuted 
officer.  A  safer  method  was  adopted,  which  was  to 
effect,  by  petty  and  humiliating  interference  with  Gen- 
eral Hancock's  jurisdiction  and  administration  in  the 
Fifth  Military  District,  the  purpose  which  his  enemies 
were  unable  to  accomplish  by  legitimate  means.  A  con- 
stant succession  of  harassing  acts  followed,  designed  to 
practically  humiliate  General  Hancock  before  the  people 
whom  he  was  sent  to  govern,  and  to  invalidate  his  acts 
of  government,  the  persistent  and  obvious  course  of 
which  action  not  unnaturally  made  a  profound  impression 
upon  General  Hancock,  so  that  about  this  time  he  wrote 
to  a  friend  in  Congress  as  follows  :"....!  hope  to  be 
relieved  here  soon.  The  President  is  no  longer  able  to 
protect  me,  so  that  I  may  expect  one  humiliation  after 
another  until  I  am  forced  to  resign.  I  am  prepared  for 
any  event.  Nothing  can  intimidate  me  from  doing  what 
I  believe  to  be  honest  and  right." 

Soon  afterward  he  wrote  the  following  official  letter : 

"  HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT, 

"  NEW  ORLEANS,  LA.,  February  27,  1867. 

"  To    BEEVET    MAJOR-GENERAL  L.  THOMAS,  Adjutant 

General,  U.  S.  A.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
"  GENERAL  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith 
copies  of  my  correspondence  with  the  General-in-Chief 
in  reference  to  my  recent  action  concerning  the  removal 
from  office  of  certain  aldermen  in  the  city  of  New  Or- 
leans, made  by  me  'for  contempt  of  the  orders  of  the 


GENERAL  HANCOCK   RELIEVED.  309 

district  commander.'  I  request  that  the  same  may  in  an 
appropriate  manner — as  explanatory  of  my  action,  and 
for  his  information — be  laid  before  his  Excellency  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  with  this  my  request  to 
be  relieved  from  the  command  of  this  military  district, 
where  it  is  no  longer  useful  or  agreeable  for  me  to  serve. 
"When  relieved,  should  the  exigensies  of  the  service  per- 
mit, it  would  be  most  in  accordance  with  my  inclinations 
to  be  sent  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  there  to  await  further  or- 
ders. 

"  I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
"  W.  S.  HANCOCK, 

"  Major- General." 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1868,  he  was  relieved  of  his 
command  at  ISTew  Orleans. 


CHAPTEE    XXXII. 

New  Orleans — The  Pease  Correspondence — Message  of  President  Johnson 
to  both  Houses  of  Congress — Letter  of  General  Hancock  on  the  Freed- 
men's  Bureau — Commendatory  Article  in  the  "  Southern  Review." 

SHORTLY  before  the  close  of  his  administration  at  New 
Orleans,  General  Hancock  received  from  Governor  Pease, 
of  Texas,  a  letter  referring  to  a  previous  application  for 
the  appointment  of  military  commissions  to  try  offenders 
in  that  State,  and  defining  the  reasons  for  that  application. 
In  reply  to  this  communication  General  Hancock  wrote 
his  justly  celebrated  letter  upon  that  subject,  and  we 
append  both  as  illustrating  the  difficulties  of  General 
Hancock's  position,  and  the  soundness  of  his  political 
principles,  the  loftiness  of  his  character,  the  clearness  of 
his  judgment,  the  manliness  of  his  patriotism,  and  the 
profundity  of  his  statesmanship. 

"EXECUTIVE  OF  TEXAS,  AUSTIN,  TEXAS, 

"January  17,  1868. 

"  BREVET-LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  "W.  G.  MITCHELL, 

"  Secretary  of  Civil  Affairs. 

"SiR:  Your  letter  of  the  28th  of  December,  1867, 
was  received  at  this  office  on  the  llth  instant.  I  think  it 
my  duty  to  reply  to  some  portions  of  it,  lest  my  silence 
should  be  construed  into  an  acquiescence  in  the  opinions 
expressed  therein,  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  Texas, 


LETTER  FROM  GOVERNOR  PEASE.  3H 

and  the  authority  of  the  Civil  Provisional  Government 
now  existing  here. 

"I  dissent  entirely  from  the  declaration  that  'the 
State  government  of  Texas,  organized  in  subordination 
to  the  authority  of  the  United  States,  is  in  the  full  exer- 
cise of  all  its  proper  powers.'  The  act  of  Congress,  <  to 
provide  for  a  more  efficient  government  of  the  Rebel 
States,'  expressly  declares  in  its  preamble,  that  no  legal 
State  government,  or  adequate  protection  of  life  or  prop- 
erty, now  exists  in  Texas,  and  it  is  necessary  that  peace 
and  good  order  should  be  enforced  in  said  State,  until  a 
loyal  and  republican  State  government  can  be  legally 
established.  It  then  provides  that  Texas  shall  be  subject 
to  the  military  authority  of  the  United  States,  and  shall 
constitute  a  part  of  the  Fifth  Military  District. 

"  It  also  directs  the  President  to  assign  to  the  com- 
mand of  that  district  an  officer  of  the  army  not  below 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  to  detail  a  sufficient 
military  force  to  enable  such  officer  to  perform  his  duties 
and  enforce  his  authority ;  and  makes  it  the  duty  of  such 
officer  to  protect  all  persons  in  their  rights  of  person  and 
property ;  to  suppress  insurrection,  disorder,  and  violence, 
and  to  punish  or  cause  to  be  punished  all  disturbers  of 
public  peace  and  criminals ;  and  to  this  end  he  may  allow 
local  civil  tribunals  to  take  jurisdiction  of  and  try  offen- 
ders ;  or,  when  in  his  judgment  it  may  be  necessary  for 
the  trial  of  offenders,  he  shall  have  power  to  organize 
military  commissions  or  tribunals  for  that  purpose ;  and 
also  declares  that  interference  under  color  of  State  au- 
thority with  the  exercise  of  military  authority  of  said  act 
shall  be  null  and  void. 

"  This  Act  further  provides  that,  until  the  people  of 
Texas  shall  be  by  law  admitted  to  representation  in  the 


312  LIFE  OF   WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Congress  of  the  United  States,  any  government  that  may 
exist  therein  shall  be  deemed  provisional  only,  and  in  all 
respects  subject  to  the  paramount  authority  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  at  any  time  to  abolish,  modify,  control,  or 
supersede  the  same. 

"  The  Supplementary  Act  of  July  19, 1867,  declares  it 
to  have  been  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  the  original 
Act  and  the  Supplementary  Act  of  the  23d  of  March, 
186T,  that  the  government  then  existing  in  Texas  was  not 
a  legal  State  government,  and  that  thereafter  said  govern- 
ment, if  continued,  was  to  be  continued  subject  in  all  re- 
spects to  the  military  commander  of  the  District,  and  the 
paramount  authority  of  Congress. 

"  The  reasonable  construction  of  these  provisions  of  the 
Act  of  Congress  referred  to,  would  seem  to  be,  that  Texas 
is  placed  under  a  military  government,  of  which  the  chief 
officer  is  the  commander  of  the  Fifth  Military  District ; 
and  that  whatever  civil  government  there  is  in  Texas  is 
provisional  only,  subject  to  said  military  commander  and 
the  paramount  authority  of  Congress,  and  exists  only  by 
their  sufferance,  as  a  part  of  the  machinery  through  which 
the  military  authority  of  the  United  States  is  exercised. 

"  This  construction  is  supported  by  the  acts  of  the  suc- 
cessive commanders  of  the  Fifth  Military  District  and 
their  correspondence  with  this  office  from  the  time  they 
first  assumed  command  in  March,  186T,  until  quite  re- 
cently. They  have  exercised  the  right  of  removing  and 
appointing  at  their  pleasure  the  officers  of  this  civil  pro- 
visional government  (with  the  exception  of  the  few  that 
are  appointed  by  the  Governor),  and  of  filling  by  ap- 
pointment all  vacancies  in  offices  heretofore  filled  by 
election  by  the  people  of  Texas.  They  have  also,  at 
pleasure,  exercised  the  right  to  abolish,  modify,  control, 


LETTER  FROM   GOVERNOR  PEASE.  313 

and  supersede  the  laws  heretofore  enacted,  as  well  as  the 
proceedings  and  judgments  of  the  courts.  They  have 
also,  at  their  pleasure,  made  arrests  for  violations  of  the 
criminal  laws. 

"  It  is  true  that  they  have  permitted  the  officers  of  this 
civil  provisional  government,  except  the  Legislature,  to 
perform  their  duties  as  prescribed  by  the  laws  of  Texas, 
but  in  subordination  to  their  orders  and  the  laws  of  the 
United  States. 

"  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  a  government,  with- 
out representation  in  Congress,  and  without  any  militia 
force,  with  such  limited  powers,  and  those  subject  to  be 
further  limited  and  changed  at  pleasure  by  the  military 
commander  of  the  District,  can  with  any  propriety  be 
called  a  State  government  organized  in  subordination  to 
the  authority  of  the  Government  of  the  United  Sates  and 
in  full  exercise  of  all  its  proper  powers. 

"  I  also  dissent  from  the  declaration  that, £  at  this  time 
the  country  is  in  a  state  of  profound  peace.'  Texas  cannot 
properly  be  said  to  be  in  a  state  of  profound  peace.  It  is 
true  that  there  no  longer  exists  here  any  organized  resis- 
tance to  the  authority  of  the  United  States ;  but  a  large 
majority  of  the  white  population  who  participated  in  the 
late  rebellion  are  embittered  against  the  Government  by 
their  defeat  in  arms  and  loss  of  their  slaves,  and  yield  to 
it  an  unwilling  obedience  only  because  they  feel  that  they 
.have  no  means  to  resist  its  authority.  None  of  this  class 
has  any  affection  for  the  Government,  and  very  few  of 
them  have  any  respect  for  it.  They  regard  the  legisla- 
tion of  Congress  on  the  subject  of  reconstruction  as  un- 
constitutional and  hostile  to  their  interests,  and  consider 
the  government  now  existing  here  under  the  authority 
of  the  United  States  as  an  usurpation  upon  their  rights. 


314:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

They  look  upon  the  enfranchisement  of  their  late  slaves, 
and  the  disfranchisement  of  a  portion  of  their  own  class, 
as  an  act  of  insult  and  oppression. 

"  This  state  of  feeling  toward  the  Government  and  its 
acts,  by  a  large  majority  of  the  white  population  who  have 
heretofore  exercised  the  political  power  of  Texas,  com- 
bined with  the  demoralization  and  impatience  of  re- 
straint by  civil  authority  that  always  follow  the  close  of 
great  civil  wars,  renders  it  extremely  difficult  to  enforce 
the  criminal  laws  in  those  portions  of  the  State  which  are 
most  densely  occupied,  and  often  impossible  to  do  so  in 
those  parts  of  the  State  which  are  sparsely  settled.  A 
knowledge  of  this  state  of  affairs  induces  many  to  redress 
their  fancied  wrongs  and  grievances  by  acts  of  violence. 

"It  is  a  lamentable  fact,  that  over  one  hundred  cases 
of  homicide  have  occurred  in  Texas  within  the  last  twelve 
months,  while  not  one  tenth  of  the  perpetrators  have  even 
been  arrested,  and  less  than  one  twentieth  of  them  have 
been  tried. 

"  Within  the  last  few  months  United  States  officers  and 
soldiers  have  been  killed  while  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duties,  and  in  no  case  have  those  who  committed  these 
offenses  been  tried  or  punished.  In  these  cases  the  most 
strenuous  efforts  were  made  by  the  military  authorities  to 
arrest  the  guilty  parties,  but  without  success,  although 
they  were  well  known. 

"It  often  happens,  that,  when  the  civil  officers  of  a 
county  are  disposed  to  do  their  duty  and  endeavor  to  make 
arrests,  they  are  unable  to  do  so,  because  they  are  not 
properly  sustained  by  the  citizens  of  the  county,  and 
when  arrests  are  made,  a  large  proportion  of  the  offenders 
escape  from  custody,  because  there  are  no  secure  jails  for 
their  confinement,  and  the  county  authorities  have  not  the 


LETTER  FROM  GOVERNOR  PEASE.  315 

means  to  pay  for  proper  guards.  Several  cases  have  come 
to  my  knowledge,  in  which  sheriffs  failed  entirely  to 
arrest  parties  who  had  been  indicted,  although  they  re- 
mained in  the  county  for  months. 

"  Grand  juries  often  fail  to  find  indictments  when 
they  ought  to  do  so,  and  petit  juries  as  often  fail  to  con- 
vict offenders  in  cases  where  the  evidence  is  conclusive. 
Hence  it  results  that,  in  many  cases,  offenders  escape  pun- 
ishment when  the  magistrates  and  sheriffs  do  their  duty. 

"  It  is  by  no  means  charged  that  all  who  took  part  in 
the  rebellion  participate  in  or  approve  the  many  outrages 
and  acts  of  violence  which  are  perpetrated  in  Texas  with- 
out punishment.  A  large  majority  disapprove  and  de- 
plore this  state  of  affairs  ;  few  of  them,  however,  give 
any  active  aid  in  the  enforcement  of  the  criminal  laws. 

"  All  good  citizens  feel  and  acknowledge  that  there  is 
but  little  security  for  life  in  Texas,  beyond  what  each 
man's  personal  character  gives  him.  Many  loyal  citizens 
have  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  would  have  a  good  ef- 
fect upon  the  community,  if  some  of  the  perpetrators  of 
aggravated  crimes — like  that  in  Uvalde  County,  where 
the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  prisoners  in  confinement 
rendered  it  highly  probable  that  they  would  escape,  and 
where  the  sparseness  of  population  made  it  so  difficult  to 
procure  a  jury,  that  it  was  considered  almost  certain  that 
the  parties  would  never  be  tried  by  the  civil  courts- 
should  be  brought  before  a  military  commission.  In  this 
opinion  I  fully  concur ;  and  it  was  for  this  reason  that  I 
made  the  recommendation. 

"  The  condition  of  affairs  here  was  much  worse  be- 
fore the  establishment  of  the  present  military  govern- 
ment than  it  has  been  since.  The  fear  of  an  arrest  by 
the  military  authorities  and  a  trial  by  a  military  commis- 


316  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

sion  has  had  some  effect  in  deterring  lawless  men  from 
the  commission  of  crime.  But  I  am  constrained  to  say 
that,  since  the  publication  of  General  Orders,  No.  40,  of 
29th  November,  1867,  from  Headquarters,  Fifth  Military 
District,  there  has  been  a  perceptible  increase  of  crime 
and  manifestation  of  hostile  feelings  toward  the  Govern- 
ment and  its  supporters. 

"  It  is  an  unpleasant  duty  to  give  such  a  recital  of  the 
condition  of  the  country.  But  the  reports  and  correspond- 
ence on  file  in  the  offices  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  and 
of  the  military  commanders  in  Texas,  since  the  close  of 
the  rebellion,  will  prove  the  truth  of  what  is  stated  here. 

"  In  my  communications  with  the  previous  command- 
ers of  the  Fifth  Military  District,  orally  and  in  writing,  I 
have  frequently  given  them  my  views  in  regard  to  the 
powers  of  the  present  civil  provisional  government  of 
Texas,  and  also  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  affairs  here, 
and  the  great  difficulty  and  sometimes  impossibility  of 
executing  the  laws  for  the  prevention  and  punishment  of 
crime  and  the  preservation  of  the  public  peace. 

"  If  all  these  matters  had  been  known  to  the  Com- 
manding General  of  the  Fifth  Military  District,  his  sur- 
prise might  not  have  been  excited  that  a  civil  magistrate 
of  Texas,  who  is  desirous  to  preserve  peace  and  good  order 
and  to  give  security  to  person  and  life,  should  have  ap- 
plied to  him,  as  the  chief  officer  to  whom  the  government 
of  Texas  is  entrusted  by  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  to 
do  by  military  authority  what  experience  has  proved  can 
not  be  effectually  done  by  the  civil  officers  of  Texas,  with 
the  limited  means  and  authority  with  which  they  are  in- 
vested by  law.  I  am,  sir,  with  great  respect, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  E.  M.  PEASE." 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.  317 

HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT, 

NEW  ORLEANS,  LA.,  March  9,  1868. 
To  His  Excellency  E.  M.  PEASE,  Governor  of  Texas. 

SIE  :  Your  communication  of  the  17th  January  last  was  received 
in  due  course  of  mail  (the  27th  January),  but  not  until  it  had  heen 
widely  circulated  hy  the  newspaper  press.  To  such  a  letter — writ- 
ten and  published  for  manifest  purposes — it  has  been  my  intention 
to  reply  as  soon  as  leisure  from  more  important  business  would 
permit. 

Your  statement,  that  the  act  of  Congress  "  to  provide  for  the 
more  efficient  government  of  the  Rebel  States  "  declares  that  what- 
ever government  existed  in  Texas  was  provisional ;  that  peace  and 
order  should  be  enforced ;  that  Texas  should  be  part  of  the  Fifth 
Military  District,  and  subject  to  military  power;  that  the  President 
should  appoint  an  officer  to  command  in  said  district,  and  detail  a 
force  to  protect  the  rights  of  person  and  property,  suppress  insur- 
rection and  violence,  and  punish  offenders,  either  by  military  com- 
mission, or  through  the  action  of  local  civil  tribunals,  as  in  his  judg- 
ment might  seem  best,  will  not  be  disputed.  One  need  only  read 
the  act  to  perceive  it  contains  such  provisions.  But,  how  all  this  is 
supposed  to  have  made  it  my  duty  to  order  the  military  commission 
requested,  you  have  entirely  failed  to  show.  The  power  to  do  a 
thing,  if  shown,  and  the  propriety  of  doing  it,  are  often  very  dif- 
ferent matters.  You  observe  you  are  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  a 
government,  without  representation  in  Congress  or  a  militia  force, 
and  subject  to  military  power,  can  be  said  to  be  in  the  full  exercise 
of  all  its  proper  powers.  You  do  not  reflect  that  this  government, 
created  or  permitted  by  Congress,  has  all  the  powers  which  the  act 
intends,  and  may  fully  exercise  them  accordingly.  If  you  think  it 
ought  to  have  more  powers,  should  be  allowed  to  send  members  to 
Congress,  wield  a  militia  force,  and  possess  yet  other  powers,  your 
complaint  is  not  to  be  preferred  against  me,  but  against  Congress, 
who  made  it  what  it  is. 

As  respects  the  issue  between  us,  any  question  as  to  what  Con- 
gress ought  to  have  done  has  no  pertinence.  You  admit  the  act  of 
Congress  authorizes  me  to  try  an  offender  by  military  commission, 
or  allow  the  local  civil  tribunals  to  try,  as  I  shall  deem  best ;  and 
you  can  not  deny  the  act  expressly  recognizes  such  local  civil  tribu- 
nals as  legal  authorities  for  the  purpose  specified.  When  you  con- 


318  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

tend  there  are  no  legal  local  tribunals  for  any  purpose  in  Texas,  you 
must  either  deny  the  plain  reading  of  the  act  of  Congress,  or  the 
power  of  Congress  to  pass  the  act. 

You  next  remark  that  you  dissent  from  my  declaration,  "  that 
the  country  (Texas)  is  in  a  state  of  profound  peace,"  and  proceed  to 
state  the  grounds  of  your  dissent.  They  appear  to  me  not  a  little 
extraordinary.  I  quote  your  words :  "  It  is  true  there  no  longer 
exists  here  (Texas)  any  organized  resistance  to  the  authority  of  the 
United  States,  but  a  large  majority  of  the  white  population  who 
participated  in  the  late  rebellion  are  embittered  against  the  Govern- 
ment, and  yield  to  it  an  unwilling  obedience."  Nevertheless,  you 
concede  they  do  yield  it  obedience.  You  proceed : 

"None  of  this  class  have  any  affection  for  the  Government,  and 
very  few  any  respect  for  it.  They  regard  the  legislation  of  Con- 
gress on  the  subject  of  reconstruction  as  unconstitutional  and  hos- 
tile to  their  interests,  and  consider  the  government  now  existing 
here  under  authority  of  the  United  States  as  a  usurpation  on  their 
rights.  They  look  on  the  emancipation  of  their  late  slaves  and  the 
disfranchisement  of  a  portion  of  their  own  class  as  an  act  of  insult 
and  oppression." 

And  this  is  all  you  have  to  present  for  proof  that  war  and  not 
peace  prevails  in  Texas ;  and  hence  it  becomes  my  duty — so  you 
suppose — to  set  aside  the  local  civil  tribunals,  and  enforce  the  penal 
code  against  citizens  by  means  of  military  commissions. 

My  dear  sir,  I  am  not  a  lawyer,  nor  has  it  been  my  business, 
as  it  may  have  been  yours,  to  study  the  philosophy  of  statecraft 
and  politics.  But  I  may  lay  claim,  after  an  experience  of  more 
than  half  a  lifetime,  to  some  poor  knowledge  of  men,  and  some 
appreciation  of  what  is  necessary  to  social  order  and  happiness. 
And  for  the  future  of  our  common  country,  I  could  devoutly  wish 
that  no  great  number  of  our  people  have  yet  fallen  in  with  the 
views  you  appear  to  entertain.  Woe  be  to  us  whenever  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  the  power  of  the  magistrate — civil  or  military 
— is  permitted  to  deal  with  the  mere  opinions  or  feelings  of  the 
people. 

I  have  been  accustomed  to  believe  that  sentiments  of  respect  or 
disrespect,  and  feelings  of  affection,  love,  or  hatred,  so  long  as  not 
developed  into  acts  in  violation  of  law,  were  matters  wholly  be- 
yond the  punitory  power  of  human  tribunals. 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.    319 

I  will  maintain  that  the  entire  freedom  of  thought  and  speech, 
however  acrimoniously  indulged,  is  consistent  with  the  noblest  as- 
pirations of  man  and  the  happiest  condition  of  his  race. 

When  a  boy,  I  remember  to  have  read  a  speech  of  Lord  Chat- 
ham's, delivered  in  Parliament.  It  was  during  our  Revolutionary 
War,  and  related  to  the  policy  of  employing  the  savages  on  the  side 
of  Britain.  You  may  be  more  familiar  with  the  speech  than  I  am. 
If  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken,  his  lordship  denounced  the  British 
Government — his  government — in  terms  of  unmeasured  bitterness. 
He  characterized  its  policy  as  revolting  to  every  sentiment  of  hu- 
manity and  religion;  proclaimed  it  covered  with  disgrace,  and 
vented  his  eternal  abhorrence  of  it  and  its'  measures.  It  may,  I 
think,  be  safely  asserted  that  a  majority  of  the  British  nation  con- 
curred in  the  views  of  Lord  Chatham.  But  who  ever  supposed 
that  profound  peace  was  not  existing  in  that  kingdom,  or  that  gov- 
ernment had  any  authority  to  question  the  absolute  right  of  the 
opposition  to  express  their  objections  to  the  propriety  of  the  king's 
measures  in  any  words,  or  to  any  extent  they  pleased?  It  would 
be  difficult  to  show  that  the  opponents  of  the  Government  in  the 
days  of  the  elder  Adams,  or  Jefferson,  or  Jackson  exhibited  for  it 
either  "affection"  or  "respect."  You  are  conversant  with  the 
history  of  our  past  parties  and  political  struggles  touching  legisla- 
tion on  alienage,  sedition,  the  embargo,  national  banks,  our  wars 
with  England  and  Mexico,  and  can  not  be  ignorant  of  the  fact  that 
for  one  party  to  assert  that  a  law  or  system  of  legislation  is  uncon- 
stitutional, oppressive,  and  usurpative  is  not  a  new  thing  in  the 
United  States.  That  the  people  of  Texas  consider  acts  of  Congress 
unconstitutional,  oppressive,  or  insulting  to  them,  is  of  no  conse- 
quence to  the  matter  in  hand.  The  President  of  the  United  States 
has  announced  his  opinion  that  these  acts  of  Congress  are  uncon- 
stitutional. The  Supreme  Court,  as  you  are  aware,  not  long  ago 
decided  unanimously  that  a  certain  military  commission  was  uncon- 
stitutional. Our  people  everywhere,  in  every  State,  without  refer- 
ence to  the  side  they  took  during  the  rebellion,  differ  as  to  the  con- 
stitutionality of  these  acts  of  Congress.  How  the  matter  really  is, 
neither  you  nor  I  may  dogmatically  affirm. 

If  you  deem  them  constitutional  laws,  and  beneficial  to  the 
country,  you  not  only  have  the  right  to  publish  your  opinions,  but 
it  might  be  your  bounden  duty  as  a  citizen  to  do  so.  Not  less  is  it 


320  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  privilege  and  duty  of  any  and  every  citizen,  wherever  residing, 
to  publish  his  opinion  freely  and  fearlessly  on  this  and  every  ques- 
tion which  he  thinks  concerns  his  interest.  This  is  merely  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  principles  of  our  free  government ;  and  neither 
you  nor  I  would  wish  to  live  under  any  other.  It  is  time  now,  at 
the  end  of  almost  two  years  from  the  close  of  the  war,  we  should 
begin  to  recollect  what  manner  of  people  we  are ;  to  tolerate  again 
free,  popular  discussion,  and  extend  some  forbearance  and  consid- 
eration to  opposing  views.  The  maxims,  that  in  all  intellectual 
contests  truth  is  mighty  and  must  prevail,  and  that  error  is  harm- 
less when  reason  is  left  free  to  combat  it,  are  not  only  sound,  but 
salutary.  It  is  a  poor  compliment  to  the  merits  of  such  a  cause, 
that  its  advocates  would  silence  opposition  by  force ;  and  generally 
those  only  who  are  in  the  wrong  will  resort  to  this  ungenerous 
means.  I  am  confident  you  will  not  commit  your  serious  judgment 
to  the  proposition  that  any  amount  of  discussion,  or  any  sort  of 
opinions,  however  unwise  in  your  judgment,  or  any  assertion  or 
feeling,  however  resentful  or  bitter,  not  resulting  in  a  breach  of 
law,  can  furnish  justification  for  your  denial  that  profound  peace 
exists  in  Texas.  You  might  as  well  deny  that  profound  peace  exists 
in  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  California,  Ohio,  and  Ken- 
tucky, where  a  majority  of  the  people  differ  with  a  minority  on 
these  questions ;  or  that  profound  peace  exists  in  the  House  of  Eep- 
resentatives,  or  the  Senate,  at  Washington,  or  in  the  Supreme 
Court,  where  all  these  questions  have  been  repeatedly  discussed, 
and  parties  respectfully  and  patiently  heard.  You  next  complain 
that  in  parts  of  the  State  (Texas)  it  is  difficult  to  enforce  the  crimi- 
nal laws;  that  sheriffs  fail  to  arrest;  that  grand  jurors  will  not 
always  indict;  that  in  some  cases  the  military  acting  in  aid  of  the 
civil  authorities  have  not  been  able  to  execute  the  process  of  the 
courts ;  that  petit  jurors  have  acquitted  persons  adjudged  guilty  by 
you ;  and  that  other  persons  charged  with  offences  have  broke  jail 
and  fled  from  prosecution.  I  know  not  how  these  things  are ;  but, 
admitting  your  representations  literally  true,  if  for  such  reasons  I 
should  set  aside  the  local  civil  tribunals,  and  order  a  military  com- 
mission, there  is  no  place  in  the  United  States  where  it  might  not 
be  done  with  equal  propriety.  There  is  not  a  State  in  the  Union — 
North  or  South — where  the  like  facts  are  not  continually  happen- 
ing. Perfection  is  not  to  be  predicated  of  man  or  his  works.  No 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.  321 

one  can  reasonbly  expect  certain  and  absolute  justice  in  human 
transactions ;  and  if  military  power  is  to  be  set  in  motion,  on  the 
principles  for  which  you  would  seem  to  contend,  I  fear  that  a  civil 
government,  regulated  by  laws,  could  have  no  abiding  place  beneath 
the  circuit  of  the  sun.  It  is  rather  more  than  hinted  in  your  letter, 
that  there  is  no  local  State  government  in  Texas,  and  no  local  laws, 
outside  of  the  acts  of  Congress,  which  I  ought  to  respect ;  and  that 
I  should  undertake  to  protect  the  rights  of  persons  and  property  in 
my  own  way  and  in  an  arbitrary  manner.  If  such  be  your  mean- 
ing, I  am  compelled  to  differ  with  you.  After  the  abolition  of  sla- 
very (an  event  which  I  hope  no  one  now  regrets),  the  laws  of  Lou- 
isiana and  Texas  existing  prior  to  the  rebellion,  and  not  in  conflict 
with  the  acts  of  Congress,  comprised  a  vast  system  of  jurispru- 
dence, both  civil  and  criminal.  It  required  not  volumes  only,  but 
libraries  to  contain  them.  They  laid  down  principles  and  precedents 
for  ascertaining  the  rights  and  adjusting  the  controversies  of  men, 
in  every  conceivable  case.  They  were  the  creations  of  great  and 
good  and  learned  men,  who  had  labored,  in  their  day,  for  their 
kind,  and  gone  down  to  the  grave  long  before  our  recent  troubles, 
leaving  their  works  an  inestimable  legacy  to  the  human  race. 
These  laws,  as  I  am  informed,  connected  the  civilization  of  past 
and  present  ages,  and  testified  of  the  justice,  wisdom,  humanity, 
and  patriotism  of  more  than  one  nation,  through  whose  records 
they  descended  to  the  present  people  of  these  States.  I  am  satis- 
fied, from  representations  of  persons  competent  to  judge,  they  are 
as  perfect  a  system  of  laws  as  may  be  found  elsewhere,  and  better 
suited  than  any  other  to  the  condition  of  this  people,  for  by  them 
they  have  long  been  governed.  Why  should  it  be  supposed  Con- 
gress has  abolished  these  laws  ?  Why  should  any  one  wish  to  abol- 
ish them  ?  They  have  committed  no  treason,  nor  are  hostile  to  the 
United  States,  nor  countenance  crime,  nor  favor  injustice.  On 
them,  as  on  a  foundation  of  rock,  reposes  almost  the  entire  super- 
structure of  social  order  in  these  two  States.  Annul  this  code  of 
local  laws,  and  there  would  be  no  longer  any  rights,  either  of  per- 
son or  property,  here.  Abolish  the  local  civil  tribunals  made  to 
execute .  them,  and  you  would  virtually  annul  the  laws,  except  in 
reference  to  the  very  few  cases  cognizable  in  the  Federal  courts. 
Let  us  for  a  moment  suppose  the  whole  local  civil  code  annulled, 
and  that  I  am  left,  as  commander  of  the  Fifth  Military  District,  the 


322  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

sole  fountain  of  law  and  justice.  This  is  the  position  in  which  you 
would  place  me, 

I  am  now  to  protect  all  rights  and  redress  all  wrongs.  How  is 
it  possible  for  me  to  do  it  ?  Innumerable  questions  arise,  of  which  I 
am  not  only  ignorant,  but  to  the  solution  of  which  a  military  court 
is  entirely  unfitted.  One  would  establish  a  will,  another  a  deed ;  or 
the  question  is  one  of  succession,  or  partnership,  or  descent,  or  trust ; 
a  suit  of  ejectment  or  claim  to  chattels  ;  or  the  application  may  relate 
to  robbery,  theft,  arson,  or  murder.  How  am  I  to  take  the  first  step 
in  any  such  matter?  If  I  turn  to  the  acts  of  Congress  I  find  no- 
thing on  the  subject.  I  dare  not  open  the  authors  on  the  local  code, 
for  it  has  ceased  to  exist. 

And  you  tell  me  that  in  this  perplexing  condition  I  am  to  fur- 
nish, by  dint  of  my  own  hasty  and  crude  judgment,  the  legislation 
demanded  by  the  vast  and  manifold  interests  of  the  people!  I  re- 
peat, sir,  that  you,  and  not  Congress,  are  responsible  for  the  mon- 
strous suggestion  that  there  are  no  local  laws  or  institutions  here 
to  be  respected  by  me,  outside  the  acts  of  Congress.  I  say,  unhesi- 
tatingly, if  it  were  possible  that  Congress  should  pass  an  act  abolish- 
ing the  local  codes  for  Louisiana  and  Texas — which  I  do  not  believe 
— and  it  should  fall  to  my  lot  to  supply  their  places  with  something 
of  my  own,  I  do  not  see  how  I  could  do  better  than  follow  the  laws 
in  force  here  prior  to  the  rebellion,  excepting  whatever  therein  shall 
relate  to  slavery.  Power  may  destroy  the  forms,  but  not  the  princi- 
ples of  justice;  these  will  live  in  spite  even  of  the  sword.  History 
tells  us  that  the  Roman  Pandects  were  lost  for  a  long  period  among 
the  rubbish  that  war  and  revolution  had  heaped  upon  them,  but  at 
length  were  dug  out  of  the  ruins — again  to  be  regarded  as  a  precious 
treasure. 

You  are  pleased  to  state  that,  "  since  the  publication  of  (my)  Gen- 
eral Orders,  No.  40,  there  has  been  a  perceptible  increase  of  crime 
and  manifestation  of  hostile  feeling  toward  the  Government  and  its 
supporters,"  and  add  that  it  is  "  an  unpleasant  duty  to  give  such  a 
recital  of  the  condition  of  the  country." 

You  will  permit  me  to  say  that  I  deem  it  impossible  the  first  of 
these  statements  can  be  true,  and  that  I  do  very  greatly  doubt  the 
correctness  of  the  second.  General  Orders,  No.  40,  was  issued  at  New 
Orleans,  November  29,  1867,  and  your  letter  was  dated  January  17, 
1868.  Allowing  time  for  Order  No.  40  to  reach  Texas  and  become 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.     323 

generally  known,  some  additional  time  must  have  elapsed  before  its 
effect  would  be  manifested,  and  a  yet  further  time  must  transpire 
before  you  would  be  able  to  collect  the  evidence  of  what  you  term 
"the  condition  of  the  country  ";  and  yet,  after  all  this,  you  would 
have  to  make  the  necessary  investigations  to  ascertain  if  Order  No. 
40  or  something  else  was  the  cause.  The  time,  therefore,  remaining 
to  enable  you,  before  the  17th  of  January,  1868,  to  reach  a  satisfac- 
tory conclusion  on  so  delicate  and  nice  a  question  must  have  been 
very  short.  How  you  proceeded,  whether  you  investigated  yourself 
or  through  third  persons,  and  if  so,  who  they  were,  what  their  com- 
petency and  fairness,  on  what  evidence  you  rested  your  conclusion, 
or  whether  you  ascertained  any  facts  at  all,  are  points  upon  which 
your  letter  so  discreetly  omits  all  mention,  that  I  may  well  be  excused 
for  not  relying  implicitly  upon  it ;  nor  is  my  difficulty  diminished  by 
the  fact  that,  in  another  part  of  your  letter,  you  state  that  ever  since 
the  close  of  the  war  a  very  large  portion  of  the  people  have  had  no 
affection  for  the  Government,  but  bitterness  of  feeling  only.  Had 
the  duty  of  publishing  and  circulating  through  the  country,  long 
before  it  reached  me,  your  statement  that  the  action  of  the  district 
commander  was  increasing  crime  and  hostile  feeling  against  the  Gov*- 
ernment,  been  less  painful  to  your  sensibilities,  it  might  possibly  have 
occurred  to  you  to  furnish  something  on  the  subject  in  addition  to 
your  bare  assertion. 

But  what  was  Order  No.  40,  and  how  could  it  have  the  effect  you 
attribute  to  it  ?  It  sets  forth  that  "  the  great  principles  of  American 
liberty  are  still  the  inheritance  of  this  people  and  ever  should  be, 
that  the  right  of  trial  by  jury,  the  habeas  corpus,  the  liberty  of  the 
press,  the  freedom  of  speech,  and  the  natural  rights  of  person  and 
property  must  be  preserved."  Will  you  question  the  truth  of  these 
declarations?  "Which  one  of  these  great  principles  of  liberty  are  you 
ready  to  deny  and  repudiate  ?  Whoever  does  so  avows  himself  the 
enemy  of  human  liberty  and  the  advocate  of  despotism.  Was  there 
any  intimation  in  General  Orders,  No.  40,  that  any  crimes  or  breaches 
of  law  would  be  countenanced?  You  know  that  there  was  not.  On 
the  contrary,  you  know  perfectly  well  that  while  "  the  consideration 
of  crime  and  offences  committed  in  the  Fifth  Military  District  was 
referred  to  the  judgment  of  the  regular  civil  tribunals,"  a  pledge  was 
given  in  Order  No.  40,  which  all  understood,  that  tribunals  would  be 
supported  in  their  lawful  jurisdiction,  and  that  "forcible  resistance 


324  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

to  law  would  be  instantly  suppressed  by  arms."  You  will  not  affirm 
that  this  pledge  has  ever  been  forfeited.  There  has  not  been  a 
moment,  since  I  have  been  in  command  of  the  Fifth  District,  when 
the  whole  military  force  in  my  hands  has  not  been  ready  to  sup- 
port the  civil  authorities  of  Texas  in  the  execution  of  the  laws. 
And  I  am  unwilling  to  believe  they  would  refuse  to  call  for  aid  if 
they  needed  it. 

There  are  some  considerations  which,  it  seems  to  me,  should  cause 
you  to  hesitate  before  indulging  in  wholesale  censures  against  the 
civil  authorities  of  Texas.  You  are  yourself  the  chief  of  these  author- 
ities, not  elected  by  the  people,  but  created  by  the  military.  Not 
long  after  you  had  thus  come  into  office,  all  the  judges  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Texas — five  in  number — were  removed  from  office, 
and  new  appointments  made :  twelve  of  the  seventeen  district  judges 
were  removed,  and  others  appointed.  County  officers,  more  or  less, 
in  seventy-five  out  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  counties,  were 
removed,  and  others  appointed  in  their  places.  It  is  fair  to  conclude 
that  the  executive  and  judicial  civil  functionaries  in  Texas  are  the 
persons  whom  you  desired  to  fill  the  offices.  It  is  proper  to  mention, 
also,  that  none  but  registered  citizens,  and  only  those  who  could  take 
the  test  oath,  have  been  allowed  to  serve  as  jurors  during  your 
administration.  Now,  it  is  against  this  local  government,  created  by 
military  power  prior  to  my  coming  here,  and  so  composed  of  your 
personal  and  political  friends,  that  you  have  preferred  the  most 
grievous  complaints.  It  is  of  them  that  you  have  asserted  they  will 
not  do  their  duty ;  they  will  not  maintain  justice ;  will  not  arrest 
offenders ;  will  not  punish  crimes ;  and  that,  out  of  one  hundred 
homicides  committed  in  the  last  twelve  months,  not  over  ten  arrests 
have  been  made ;  and  by  means  of  such  gross  disregard  of  duty  you 
declare  that  neither  property  nor  life  is  safe  in  Texas. 

Certainly  you  could  have  said  nothing  more  to  the  discredit  of 
the  officials  who  are  now  in  office.  If  the  facts  be  as  you  allege,  a 
mystery  is  presented  for  which  I  can  imagine  no  explanation.  Why 
is  it  that  your  political  friends,  backed  up  and  sustained  by  the  whole 
military  power  of  the  United  States  in  this  district,  should  be  unwill- 
ing to  enforce  the  laws  against  that  part  of  the  population  lately 
in  rebellion,  and  whom  you  represent  as  the  offenders  ?  In  all  the 
history  of  these  troubles,  I  have  never  seen  or  heard  before  of  such 
a  fact.  I  repeat,  if  the  fact  be  so,  it  is  a  profound  mystery,  utterly 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  PEASE.     325 

surpassing  my  comprehension.  I  am  constrained  to  declare  that  I 
believe  you  are  in  very  great  error  as  to  facts.  On  careful  examina- 
tion at  the  proper  source,  I  find  that  at  the  date  of  your  letter  four 
cases  only  of  Jhornicides  had  been  reported  to  these  headquarters 
as  having  occurred  since  November  29,  1867,  the  date  of  Order  40, 
and  these  cases  were  ordered  to  be  tried  or  investigated  as  soon  as 
the  reports  were  received.  However,  the  fact  of  the  one  hundred 
homicides  may  still  be  correct,  as  stated  by  you.  The  Freedmen's 
Bureau  in  Texas  reported  one  hundred  and  sixty ;  how  many  of  these 
were  by  Indians  and  Mexicans,  and  how  the  remainder  were  classi- 
fied, is  not  known,  nor  is  it  known  whether  these  data  are  accurate. 

The  report  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the  District  of  Texas 
shows  that  since  I  assumed  command  no  applications  have  been 
made  to  him  by  you  for  the  arrest  of  criminals  in  the  State  of  Texas. 

To  this  date  eighteen  cases  of  homicides  have  been  reported  to 
me  as  having  occurred  since  November  29,  1867,  although  special 
instructions  had  been  given  to  report  such  cases  as  they  occur.  Of 
these,  five  were  committed  by  Indians,  one  by  a  Mexican,  one  by  an 
insane  man,  three  by  colored  men,  two  of  women  by  their  husbands, 
and,  of  the  remainder,  some  by  parties  unknown — all  of  which  could 
be  scarcely  attributable  to  Order  No.  40.  If  the  reports  received 
since  the  issuing  of  Order  No.  40  are  correct,  they  exhibit  no  in- 
crease of  homicides  in  my  time,  if  you  are  correct  that  one  hundred 
had  occurred  in  the  past  twelve  months. 

That  there  has  not  been  a  perfect  administration  of  justice  in 
Texas,  I  am  not  prepared  to  deny. 

That  there  has  been  no  such  wanton  disregard  of  duty  on  the 
part  of  officials  as  you  allege,  I  am  well  satisfied.  A  very  little 
while  ago  you  regarded  the  present  officials  in  Texas  as  the  only 
ones  who  could  be  safely  trusted  with  power.  Now  you  pronounce 
them  worthless,  and  would  cast  them  aside. 

I  have  found  little  else  in  your  letter  but  indications  of  temper, 
lashed  into  excitement  by  causes  which  I  deem  mostly  imaginary ;  a 
great  confidence  in  the  accuracy  of  your  own  opinions,  and  an  in- 
tolerance of  the  opinions  of  others ;  a  desire  to  punish  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  of  those  who  differ  from  you ;  and  an  impatience  which 
magnifies  the  shortcomings  of  officials  who  are  perhaps  as  earnest 
and  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties  as  yourself ;  and  a 
most  unsound  conclusion  that,  while  any  persons  are  to  be  found 


826  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

wanting  in  affection  or  respect  for  the  government,  or  yielding  it  obe- 
dience from  motives  which  you  do  not  approve,  war,  and  not  peace, 
is  the  status,  and  all  such  persons  are  the  proper  subjects  for  military 
penal  jurisdiction. 

If  I  have  written  anything  to  disabuse  your  mind  of  so  grave  an 
error,  I  shall  be  gratified.  I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  S.  HANCOCK, 
Major-  Gen  era  I  Commanding. 

It  would  seem  that  General  Hancock's  letter  should 
have  convinced  every  fair  and  law-loving  man  that  it 
was  wiser  far  to  restore  the  civil  tribunals  to  the  effective 
administration  of  the  existing  laws  than  to  inaugurate  the 
dangerous  expedient  of  military  commissions  which  de- 
nied to  accused  persons  the  right  of  trial  by  jury,  and 
the  other  forms  of  law  which  are  such  essentials  of  the 
civil  administration  of  justice. 

By  all  that  has  been  written  here  in  the  nature  of 
history,  and  by  the  character  of  the  orders  issued  by  Gen- 
eral Hancock,  and  of  the  requests  and  demands  made 
upon  him,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Fifth  Military  District  was  no  sinecure, 
either  for  its  commander  or  his  staff.  It  was,  on  the  con- 
trary, perplexing  and  laborious,  and  the  perpetual  demands 
made  upon  him  for  intervention,  even  in  cases  which  he 
had  referred  to  the  civil  tribunals  and  proper  official 
functionaries,  called  for  close  attention  and  excessive 
labor,  even  as  regarded  the  mere  correspondence ;  and  per- 
haps no  part  of  General  Hancock's  very  active  life  was 
more  wearing  and  vexatious  than  the  few  months  passed 
in  New  Orleans.  But  certainly  no  portion  of  it,  not  even 
excepting  the  brilliant  campaigns  in  which  he  won  so 
much  honor,  exhibited  more  true  greatness  of  mind,  or  a 


PRESIDENT'S  MESSAGE  COMPLIMENTING  HANCOCK.    327 

broader  extent  and  variety  of  knowledge  and  of  adminis- 
trative capacity.  This  portion  of  his  career  gained  the 
confidence  and  elicited  the  applause  of  all  fair  and  pa- 
triotic minds  throughout  the  country,  excepting  only  those 
whose  personal  and  political  schemes  were  thwarted  by 
his  unswerving  adherence  to  the  principles  of  honor, 
rectitude,  and  fair  dealing. 

On  the  18th  of  December,  186T,  the  following  mes- 
sage was  sent  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
both  Houses  of  Congress.  It  displays  certainly  in  what 
estimate  the  services  of  General  Hancock  were  held  by 
the  highest  executive  authority  in  the  land : 

Gentlemen  of  the  Senate  and  of  the  House  of  Representatives : 

An  official  copy  of  the  order  issued  by  Major-General  "Winfield 
S.  Hancock,  commander  of  the  Fifth  Military  District,  dated  head- 
quarters in  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  on  the  29th  day  of  November, 
has  reached  me  through  the  regular  channels  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, and  I  herewith  communicate  it  to  Congress  for  such  action 
as  may  seem  to  be  proper  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  General  Hancock  announces  that  he 
will  make  the  law  the  rule  of  his  conduct ;  that  he  will  uphold  the 
courts  and  other  civil  authorities  in  the  performance  of  their  proper 
duties,  and  that  he  will  use  his  military  power  only  to  preserve  the 
peace  and  enforce  the  law.  He  declares  very  explicitly  that  the  sa- 
cred right  of  the  trial  by  jury  and  the  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  shall  not  be  crushed  out  or  trodden  under  foot.  He  goes  fur- 
ther, and,  in  one  comprehensive  sentence,  asserts  that  the  principles 
of  American  liberty  are  still  the  inheritance  of  this  people,  and  ever 
should  be. 

"When  a  great  soldier,  with  unrestricted  power  in  his  hands  to 
oppress  his  fellow  men,  voluntarily  foregoes  the  chance  of  gratifying 
his  selfish  ambition,  and  devotes  himself  to  the  duty  of  building  up 
the  liberties  and  strengthening  the  laws  of  his  country,  he  presents 
an  example  of  the  highest  public  virtue  that  human  nature  is  capa- 
ble of  practicing.  The  strongest  claim  of  Washington  to  be  "  first 


328  MEG  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,"  is 
founded  on  the  great  fact  that  in  all  his  illustrious  career  he  scrupu- 
lously abstained  from  violating  the  legal  and  constitutional  rights  of 
his  fellow  citizens.  When  he  surrendered  his  commission  to  Con- 
gress, the  President  of  that  body  spoke  his  highest  praise  in  saying 
that  he  had  "  always  regarded  the  rights  of  the  civil  authorities 
through  all  dangers  and  disasters."  Whenever  power  above  the  law 
courted  his  acceptance,  he  calmly  put  the  temptation  aside.  By 
such  magnanimous  acts  of  forbearance  he  won  the  universal  admi- 
ration of  mankind,  and  left  a  name  which  has  no  rival  in  the  history 
of  the  world. 

I  am  far  from  saying  that  General  Hancock  is  the  only  officer 
of  the  American  army  who  is  influenced  by  the  example  of  Wash- 
ington. Doubtless  thousands  of  them  are  faithfully  devoted  to  the 
principles  for  which  the  men  of  the  Revolution  laid  down  their  lives. 
But  the  distinguished  honor  belongs  to  him  of  being  the  first  officer 
in  high  command  south  of  the  Potomac,  since  the  close  of  the  civil 
war,  who  has  given  utterance  to  these  noble  sentiments  in  the  form 
of  a  military  order. 

I  respectfully  suggest  to  Congress  that  some  public  recognition 
of  General  Hancock's  patriotic  conduct  is  due,  if  not  to  him,  to  the 
friends  of  law  and  justice  throughout  the  country.  Of  such  an  act 
as  his  at  such  a  time  it  is  but  fit  that  the  dignity  should  be  vindi- 
cated and  the  virtue  proclaimed,  so  that  its  value  as  an  example  may 
not  be  lost  to  the  nation. 

ANDEEW  JOHNSON. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  December  18,  1867. 


The  effect  of  this  message  upon  Congress  was,  of 
course,  of  the  slightest;  it  served,  however,  to  put  on 
record,  from  its  highest  public  exponent,  the  deep  and 
wide-spread  public  opinion  which  was  slowly  formulat- 
ing itself  toward  a  consummation  of  result,  the  nature  of 
which  will  appear  farther  on  in  these  pages. 

As  a  further  contribution  to  the  history  of  this  period 
of  General  Hancock's  career  we  insert  the  following 
letter : 


HANCOCK  ON  THE  FREEDMEN'S  BUREAU.     329 

HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT, 

NEW  ORLEANS,  LA.,  February  24,  1868. 

MAJOR-GENERAL  O.  O.  HOWARD,  Commissioner  of  Bureau  Refugees, 
Freedmen,  and  Abandoned  Lands,  Washington,  D.  C.  : 

GENERAL:  Eeferring  to  the  report  of  Captain  E.  Collins,  Seven- 
teenth Infantry,  sub-assistant  commissioner  of  the  bureau,  refu- 
gees, freedmen,  and  abandoned  lands,  at  Brenham,  Texas,  dated 
December  31,  1867,  and  transmitted  by  you  for  my  information, 
I  have  the  honor  to  state  that  I  do  not  understand  how  any 
orders  of  mine  can  be  interpreted  as  interfering  with  the  proper 
execution  of  the  law  creating  the  bureau.  It  is  certainly  not  my 
intention  that  they  should  so  interfere.  Anything  complained  of 
in  that  letter,  which 'could  have  lawfully  been  remedied  by  the 
exercise  of  military  authority,  should  have  received  the  action 
of  General  Eeynolds,  who,  being  military  commander,  and  also 
Assistant-Commissioner  for  Texas,  was  the  proper  authority  to 
apply  the  remedy,  and  to  that  end  was  vested  with  the  necessary 
power. 

A  copy  of  the  report  of  Captain  Collins  had  already  been  for- 
warded to  me  by  General  Keynolds,  before  the  receipt  of  your  com- 
munication, and  had  been  returned  to  him  on  January  16,  with  the 
following  endorsement :  "  Kespectfully  returned  to  Brevet  Major- 
General  J.  J.  Keynolds,  commanding  District  of  Texas. 

"This  paper  seems  to  contain  only  vague  and  indefinite  com- 
plaints, without  specific  action  as  to  any  particular  cases.  If  Cap- 
tain Collins  has  any  special  cases,  of  the  nature  referred  to  in  his 
communication,  which  require  action  at  these  headquarters,  he  can 
transmit  them,  and  they  will  receive  attention." 

No  reply  has  been  received  to  this — a  proof  either  of  the  non- 
existence  of  such  special  cases,  or  of  neglect  of  duty  on  the  part  of 
Captain  Collins  in  not  reporting  them.  It  is  and  will  be  my  plea- 
sure, as  well  as  duty,  to  aid  you,  and  the  officers  and  agents  under 
your  direction,  in  the  proper  execution  of  the  law.  I  have  just  re- 
turned from  a  trip  to  Texas.  "While  there,  I  passed  through  Bren- 
hain  twice,  and  saw  Captain  Collins,  but  neither  from  him  nor  from 
General  Reynolds  did  I  hear  anything  in  regard  to  this  subject,  so 
far  as  I  recollect. 

There  are  numerous  abuses  of  authority  on  the  part  of  certain 


330  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

agents  of  the  bureau  in  Texas,  and  General  Reynolds  is  already  in- 
vestigating some  of  them. 

My  intention  is  to  confine  the  agents  of  the  bureau  within  their 
legitimate  authority,  so  far  as  my  power  as  district  commander  ex- 
tends ;  further  than  that,  it  is  not  my  intention  or  desire  to  inter- 
fere with  the  Freedmen's  Bureau.  I  can  say,  however,  that,  had 
the  district  commander  a  superior  control  over  the  freedmen's  af- 
fairs in  the  district,  the  bureau  would  be  as  useful,  and  would  work 
more  harmoniously,  and  be  more  in  favor  with  the  people.  At 
present  there  is  a  clashing  of  authority.  I  simply  mention  the  facts 
without  desiring  any  such  control. 

The  Reconstruction  Acts  charge  district  commanders  with  the 
duty  of  protecting  all  persons  in  their  rights  of  person  and  prop- 
erty ;  and  to  this  end  authorize  them  to  allow  local  civil  tribunals 
to  take  jurisdiction  of  and  try  offenders ;  or,  if  in  their  opinion 
necessary,  to  organize  a  military  commission  or  tribunal  for  that 
purpose. 

They  are  thus  given  control  over  all  criminal  proceedings  for 
violation  of  the  statute  laws  of  the  States,  and  for  such  other 
offenses  as  are  not  by  law  made  triable  by  the  United  States 
courts.  The  Reconstruction  Acts  exempt  no  class  of  persons  from 
their  operation,  and  the  duty  of  protecting  all  persons  in  their 
rights  of  person  and  property,  of  necessity,  invests  district  com- 
manders with  control  over  the  agents  of  the  bureau,  to  the  ex- 
tent of  at  least  enabling  them  to  restrain  these  agents  from  any 
interference  with  or  disregard  of  their  prerogatives  as  district  com- 
manders. 

The  district  commanders  are  made  responsible  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  peace  and  the  enforcement  of  the  local  laws  within  their 
districts ;  and  they  are  the  ones  required  to  designate  the  tribunals 
before  which  those  who  break  the  peace  and  violate  these  laws  shall 
be  tried. 

Such  being  the  fact,  many  of  the  agents  of  the  bureau  seem  not 
to  be  aware  of  it.  In  Texas  some  are  yet  holding  courts,  trying 
cases,  imposing  fines,  taking  fees  for  services,  and  arresting  citizens 
for  offenses  over  which  the  bureau  is  not  intended  by  law  to  have 
jurisdiction. 

General  Reynolds  is  aware  of  some  of  these  cases,  and  is,  as  I 
have  already  mentioned,  giving  his  attention  to  them. 


GRANT  AND  HANCOCK.  331 

In  Louisiana  this  state  of  affairs  exists  to  a  less  extent,  if  at 
all.  I  am,  General,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  S.  HANCOCK, 
Major- General  U.  8.  Army,  Commanding. 

It  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  time  to  which  we 
have  now  arrived  that  it  became  matter  of  public  conver- 
sation that  some  misunderstanding  had  arisen  between 
General  Grant  and  General  Hancock.  That  such,  to  a 
certain  extent,  was  the  case,  is  as  much  a  matter  of  his- 
tory as  any  other  portion  of  this  book.  Into  the  nature 
and  causes  of  this  temporary  disagreement  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  enter  here.  Gossip  is  not  history.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  say  that  these  eminent  soldiers  sometimes 
differed  upon  pending  questions,  and  with  regard  to  the 
proper  conduct  of  high  official  functions,  and  that  their 
good  understanding  was  for  a  time  disturbed.  In  rela- 
tion to  this,  General  Hancock  once  remarked  to  a  friend : 
"The  differences  which  arose  between  General  Grant 
and  myself  were  mainly,  if  not  entirely,  due  to  misrepre- 
sentations and  exaggerations  of  the  language  and  con- 
duct of  both  of  us."  Time  and  better  information  after- 
ward removed  the  mistaken  impressions  which  had  been 
formed,  and  the  published  remarks  of  General  Grant  and 
the  frequent  expressions  in  private  of  General  Hancock 
give  ample  assurance  that  these  ceased  to  exist. 

In  conclusion  of  so  much  of  this  history  as  refers  to 
the  Fifth  Military  District,  we  will  quote  here  from  an 
article  entitled  "  The  Civil  Record  of  General  Hancock," 
published  in  the  "  Southern  Review,"  for  October,  1871 : 

"Absolutely  refusing  to  comply  with  all  such  peti- 
tions (asking  for  arbitrary  use  of  his  military  powers),  he 


332  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

respects  the  rights  of  the  people  one  and  all,  and  confines 
the  exercise  of  his  unlimited  powers  within  the  sacred 
bounds  of  constitutional  law  and  justice.  We  hail  him, 
therefore,  as  a  second  "Washington,  whom  no  amount  of 
temptation  can  seduce  from  the  path  of  conscious  recti- 
tude. He  would  offend  the  powers  that  be,  and  will  dis- 
gust his  friends,  if  necessary,  but  he  will  not  violate  his 
own  sense  of  right  and  justice  and  mercy.  He  is,  in, 
fact,  one  of  the  few  men  who,  in  the  history  of  our  race, 
have  shown  themselves  as  firm  and  noble  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  civil  justice — as  brave  and  heroic  in  the  con- 
duct of  their  military  campaigns.  Hancock  is  a  just 
man;  a  simple,  massive,  and  heroic  character,  as  calm 
and  dispassionate  in  the  formation  of  his  opinions  as  he 
is  firm  and  inflexible  in  his  adherence  to  them.  He  is 
not  to  be  driven  from  his  convictions  of  right,  because  in 
the  formation  of  them  his  great  aim  has  been  not  exalta- 
tion of  self,  but  his  country's  good.  .  .  . 

"We  admire  this  memorable  state  paper  (letter  to 
Governor  Pease),  because  it  stands  out  so  grandly  above 
the  darkness  of  evil  times  and  an  almost  universal  defec- 
tion of  principle,  like  some  memorial  of  the  olden  time, 
when  the  regard  for  justice  and  the  liberties  of  the  peo- 
ple had  a  fixed  abode  in  the  hearts  of  statesmen." 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Division  of  the  Atlantic — 1868 — Political  Campaign — General  Hancock  a 
Candidate  for  President — The  Glover  Correspondence — General  Han- 
cock relieved,  and  ordered  to  Dakota — The  Indian  Question — Attack  on 
the  Piegans — General  Hancock  again  appointed  to  the  Division  of  the 
Atlantic — Presidential  Election  of  1872 — General  Hancock's  Name 
prominent. 

FROM  New  Orleans  General  Hancock  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  Division  of  the  Atlantic,  which 
command  he  assumed  March  31, 1868.  This  division  was 
composed  of  three  military  departments,  namely,  the  De- 
partment of  the  Lakes,  that  of  the  East,  and  that  of  Wash- 
ington. The  first  embraced  the  States  of  Ohio,  Michigan, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Wisconsin,  with  General  John 
Pope  commanding,  headquarters  at  Detroit ;  the  second, 
the  New  England  States,  New  York,  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania,  General  Irvin  McDowell  commanding, 
headquarters,  New  York ;  and  the  third  the  District  of 
Columbia,  Maryland,  and  Delaware,  General  E.  R.  S. 
Canby  commanding,  headquarters  at  "Washington. 

The  year  1868  is  memorable  in  the  life  of  General 
Hancock,  for  the  reason  of  its  being  the  occasion  of  his 
being  named  as  a  prominent  candidate  for  the  Dem- 
ocratic nomination  for  the  Presidency  of  the  United 
States.  The  Eepublican  convention  had  met  on  the 
20th  of  May  of  that  year,  and-  had  nominated  General 
Ulysses  S.  Grant  for  President,  and  Hon.  Schuyler  Col- 
fax  for  Vice-President.  The  Democratic  convention 


334  LIFE   OF   WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

assembled  in  the  city  of  New  York,  July  4th.  The  bal- 
loting at  this  convention  presented  some  strange  political 
phenomena.  There  were  twenty-one  several  ballots,  Ho- 
ratio Seymour  (who  was  ultimately  nominated,  in  company 
with  the  Hon.  Francis  P.  Blair,  of  Missouri,  for  Vice- 
President)  received  no  votes  until  the  fourth  ballot,  when 
he  received  nine,  and  he  gained  no  increase  on  this  until 
the  last  ballot,  when  he  received  317 ;  the  highest  vote 
received  by  Mr.  Pendleton  was  on  the  eighth  ballot,  156 £ ; 
the  highest  received  by  Mr.  Hendricks  was  162.  General 
Hancock  began  with  33£,  rose  to  13 1£,  and  concluded,  on 
the  18th  ballot,  with  144J.  There  were  fewer  than  fif- 
teen names  before  the  convention. 

The  campaign  which  followed  the  two  conventions 
was  exciting,  the  conclusion  being  the  election  of  General 
Grant  by  a  popular  vote  of  3.015,071,  against  2,709,613 
cast  for  Horatio  Seymour,  the  electoral  vote  being  214  to 
80. 

It  had  never  been  General  Hancock's  habit  to  indulge 
in  campaign  work ;  opportunities  of  voting,  even,  are  rare 
for  army  officers,  but  he  always  maintained  his  citizenship 
in  Pennsylvania — as  he  does  to  this  day.  He  could  hardly, 
then,  have  been  expected  to  enter  with  much  vigor  or 
personal  effort  into  the  canvass  of  1868.  A  different  view 
from  this,  however,  appeared  to  strike  the  radical  jour- 
nals of  the  time,  for  they  bruited  about  the  assertion  that 
General  Hancock  was  dissatisfied  with  the  result  of  the 
National  Democratic  convention,  and  was  personally  in- 
active in  the  canvass  for  this  reason.  This  gratuitous 
charge  General  Hancock  would  not  in  the  least  have  seen 
fit  to  take  into  consideration,  but  that  a  warm  personal 
friend  of  his,  S.  T.  Glover,  Esq.,  an  eminent  lawyer  of 
St.  Louis,  addressed  to  him  a  letter  of  inquiry  upon  the 


THE  PRESIDENCY   IN   1868.  335 

subject.  To  this  letter  the  General  replied,  and  we  give 
below  the  entire  correspondence  as  reprinted  from  the 
"National  Intelligencer"  (Washington,  D.  C.),  of  July 

29,  1868. 

"Si.  Louis,  MISSOURI,  July  13,  1868. 

"  MAJOR-GENERAL  HANCOCK  :  I  deem  it  proper  to  di- 
rect your  attention  to  statements  made  by  the  radical 
press  to  the  effect  that  you  are  greatly  dissatisfied  with 
the  results  of  the  National  Democratic  convention.  The 
object  of  these  statements  is  to  create  an  impression  that 
you  do  not  acquiesce  in  the  judgment  of  the  convention, 
that  your  friends  do  not,  and,  in  consequence,  Seymour 
and  Blair  will  not  have  their  cordial  support.  I  wish  you 
to  know,  General,  that  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  pro- 
nounce these  statements  false,  and  to  assure  those  who 
have  spoken  with  me  on  the  subject  that  nothing  could 
cause  you  more  regret  than  to  find  your  friends,  or  any 
of  them,  less  earnest  in  supporting  the  ticket  which  has 
been  nominated  than  they  would  have  been  had  your 
name  stood  in  the  place  of  Governor  Seymour's. 
"  I  am,  very  sincerely,  your  friend, 

"S.  T.  GLOVEK." 

REPLY  OF  GENERAL  HANCOCK. 

"NEWPORT,  RHODE  ISLAND,  July  17,  1868. 

"S.  T.  GLOVER,  ESQ.,  St.  Louis,  Missouri: 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  :  I  am  greatly  obliged  for  your  favor 
of  the  13th  instant.  Those  who  suppose  that  I  do  not 
acquiesce  in  the  work  of  the  National  Democratic  con- 
vention, or  that  I  do  not  sincerely  desire  the  election  of 
its  nominees,  know  very  little  of  my  character.  Believ- 
ing, as  I  verily  do,  that  the  preservation  of  constitutional 
government  eminently  depends  on  the  success  of  the 


336  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

Democratic  party  in  the  coming  election,  were  I  to  hesi- 
tate in  its  cordial  support  I  feel  I  should  not  only  falsify 
my  own  record,  but  commit  a  crime  against  my  country. 
I  never  aspired  to  the  Presidency  on  account  of  myself. 
I  never  sought  its  doubtful  honors  and  certain  labors  and 
responsibilities  merely  for  the  position.  My  only  wish 
was  to  promote,  if  I  could,  the  good  of  the  country,  and 
to  rebuke  the  spirit  of  revolution  which  had  invaded 
every  sacred  precinct  of  liberty.  "When,  therefore,  you 
pronounced  the  statements  in  question  false,  you  did  ex- 
actly right.  '  Principles  and  not  men '  is  the  inotto  for 
the  rugged  crisis  in  which  we  are  now  struggling. 

"  Had  I  been  made  the  Presidential  nominee  I  should 
have  considered  it  a  tribute,  not  to  me,  but  to  principles 
which  I  had  proclaimed  and  practiced ;  but  shall  I  cease  to 
regard  these  principles  because,  by  the  judgment  of  mu- 
tual political  friends,  another  has  been  appointed  to  put 
them  in  execution  ?  Never !  Never ! 

"  These,  sir,  are  my  sentiments,  whatever  interested 
parties  may  say  to  the  contrary  ;  and  I  desire  that  all 
may  know  and  understand  them.  I  shall  ever  hold  in 
grateful  remembrance  the  faithful  friends  who*,  hailing 
from  every  section  of  the  country,  preferred  me  by 
their  votes,  and  other  expressions  of  confidence,  both  in 
and  out  of  the  convention,  and  shall  do  them  all  the  justice 
to  believe  that  they  were  governed  by  patriotic  motives ; 
that  they  did  not  propose  simply  to  aggrandize  my  per- 
sonal fortunes,  but  to  serve  their  country  through  me, 
and  that  they  will  not  now  suffer  anything  like  personal 
preferences  or  jealousies  to  stand  between  them  and  their 
manifest  duty.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  dear  sir, 
"  Yery  respectfully  yours, 

"  WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK." 


DEPARTMENT   OF  DAKOTA.  337 

General  Hancock's  report  to  the  War  Department  for 
1869  was  very  brief,  as  no  military  operations  of  impor- 
tance occurred.  On  the  20th  of  March  of  that  year,  by 
General  Orders,  No.  10,  Headquarters  of  the  Army,  Gen- 
eral Hancock  was  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Di- 
vision of  the  Atlantic  by  General  George  G.  Meade,  and 
was  ordered  to  the  Department  of  Dakota.  But  being 
at  this  time  a  member  of  the  "  Dyer  Court  of  Inquiry,"* 
then  in  session  at  the  city  of  Washington,  General  Han- 
cock did  not  proceed  to  the  northwest  to  assume  com- 
mand of  his  new  department  until  May  17,  1869. 

The  duties  devolving  upon  the  General  in  this  com- 
mand chiefly  consisted  in  preserving  peace  and  order 
among  the  numerous  warlike  Indian  tribes  inhabiting  por- 
tions of  the  territory  embraced  in  his  department,  the 
protection  of  settlers  on  the  frontier,  guarding  and  keep- 
ing open  lines  of  travel,  and  furthering  and  protecting 
the  work  of  the  construction  of  railways  at  that  time 
being  built  westward  through  the  Department  of  Dakota 
toward  the  Pacific  Coast. 

The  Government  having  adopted  the  policy  of  set- 
tling the  Indians  on  reservations,  one  object  of  keeping  a 
military  force  in  that  region  was  to  be  ready  for  service 

*  It  was  in  reference  to  the  court  that  the  Secretary  of  War  (General 
Schofield)  addressed  a  letter  to  General  Hancock,  dated  Washington,  D.  C  , 
September  19,  1868,  in  which  he  says: 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  :  I  am  very  sorry,  indeed,  to  hear  of  your  trouble  with 
that  old  wound,  and  hope  it  will  not  prove  so  bad  as  you  apprehend.  I 
shall  hardly  know  who  to  substitute  on  the  court.  I  would  rather  postpone 
the  day  of  meeting  a  short  time  than  change  the  detail.  Please  let  me 
know  as  soon  as  you  can  what  the  prospects  are  of  your  being  able  to  go 
on,  say  in  a  week  or  two  after  the  time,  if  not  at  the  time  appointed. 

"  The  President  has  given  his  consent  for  the  removal  of  your  head- 
quarters to  New  York." 
15 


338  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

in  case  of  outbreaks  among  the  Indians,  which  it  was  ap- 
prehended might  arise  in  the  process  of  placing  the  sev- 
eral tribes  in  their  respective  reservations.  ISTo  outbreaks 
occurred,  however,  these  doubtless  being  prevented  by 
the  presence  of  the  troops.  General  Hancock  accord- 
ingly distributed  his  men  to  stations  where  they  might  be 
most  useful ;  posts  established  by  him  with  a  view  to  con- 
trol the  peaceful  settlement  of  the  Indians  on  their  reser- 
vations and  to  preserve  the  general  quiet. 

In  May  and  June  of  1869,  he  personally  visited  all 
these  stations,  and  gave  such  directions  and  instructions 
as  were  required  to  insure  the  erection,  before  the  advent 
of  winter,  of  the  necessary  quarters  and  storehouses  for 
the  shelter  of  the  troops  and  the  storage  of  their  provis- 
ions during  the  inclement  season. 

A  new  post  was  established  near  Pembina,  on  the  Red 
River  of  the  North,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  point  where  that 
river  crosses  our  northern  boundary.  Congress  appropri- 
ated fifty  thousand  dollars  for  this  purpose.  Two  com- 
panies were  sent  to  Pembina  and  a  fort  was  erected. 
Early  in  the  fall  General  Hancock  made  a  tour  of  inspec- 
tion extending  as  far  as  this  point,  and  made  a  report  in 
which  he  wrote  in  high  terms  of  the  character  and  pros- 
pective resources  and  value  of  the  Red  River  country,  re- 
commending that  measures  should  be  speedily  inaugurated 
for  authoritatively  determining  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween us  and  the  British  possessions. 

During  most  of  the  time  while  in  command  of  the  De- 
partment of  Dakota,  General  Hancock's  headquarters 
were  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  He  continued  in  that  com- 
mand during  the  year  1871,  its  duties,  though  laborious 
and  calling  for  constant  vigilance,  being  generally  barren 
of  incident  and  furnishing  little  material  for  history.  On 


RETURNS  TO  DIVISION  OF  THE  ATLANTIC.  339 

November  25,  1872,  he  was  again  transferred  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Division  of  the  Atlantic,  with  headquarters 
at  New  York,  being  in  the  city  itself  for  several  years, 
but  in  1878  transferred  to  Governor's  Island,  New  York 
Harbor. 

The  year  1872  witnessed  another  Presidential  elec- 
tion, when  General  Grant  was  unanimously  renominated 
by  the  Republican  convention  in  Philadelphia,  and  Hor- 
ace Greeley  by  the  Liberal  Republicans  and  Democrats  at 
their  conventions  in  Cincinnati  and  Baltimore.  At  the 
election  in  November,  General  Grant  was  reflected  by  a 
popular  vote  of  3,579,070  against  2,834,079  for  Horace 
Greeley,  and  35,008  scattering,  the  entire  electoral  vote 
of  286  being  for  IT.  S.  Grant. 

In  the  consideration  of  the  merits  and  availability 
of  candidates  for  the  Democratic  nomination  preced- 
ent to  the  nominating  convention,  General  Hancock's 
name  was  again  very  generally  and  warmly  considered. 
Pennsylvania,  his  native  State,  was  solid  in  his  favor, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  would  have  made  a  good 
run  for  the  nomination.  But  the  political  situation  was 
peculiar,  and  even  the  shrewdest  politicians  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party  were  doubtful  and  inclined  to  hedge.  The 
dissatisfaction  in  the  Republican  party,  which  had  begun 
at  this  time  and  which  continued  thereafter  to  increase, 
offered  inducements  for  a  compromise  candidate.  Th© 
selection  of  Horace  Greeley  was  the  result  of  the  situa- 
tion ;  and  the  ruin,  insanity,  and  death  of  the  eccentric 
but  gifted  Republican  journalist  became  the  sacrifice  de- 
manded by  his  old-time  party  followers,  for  the  high  crime 
and  misdemeanor  of  daring  to  identify  himself  with  a 
movement  in  opposition  to  the  mischief -making  radical- 
ism which  was  now  rampant. 


34:0  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Some  idea  of  the  feeling  in  favor  of  Hancock  at  this 
time  may  be  derived  from  the  following  quotation  from 
an  editorial  published  in  the  "  St.  Louis  Republican," 
under  date  of  September  4,  1871.  In  commenting  upon 
the  names  of  the  Democratic  candidates  for  the  Presi- 
dency, this  article  says : 

"  In  the  matter  of  general  admirable,  popular  repu- 
tation, it  is  supposed  that  Hancock  bears  off  the  palm 
from  all  competitors.  His  name  is  inseparably  and  hon- 
orably connected  with  those  great  achievements  of  the 
war  in  which  are  bound  up  the  affections  of  our  Union 
soldiers,  upon  which  their  admiration  is  immovably  fixed, 
and  around  which  will  cluster,  while  they  breathe,  all  the 
honor  and  glory  of  their  country.  .  .  .  His  name  is  famil- 
iar to  the  hosts  of  our  Union  soldiery.  Thousands  and 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  those  soldiers  have  known  him 
personally.  Which  of  the  other  gentlemen  named  for 
the  Presidency  can  be  compared  with  him  in  this  ?  .  .  .  . 
It  is  also  suggested  that  Hancock  is  favorably  known  to 
soldiers  who  fought  on  the  side  of  the  rebellion.  There 
is  something  peculiar  in  the  fact,  yet  the  fact  is  undoubted, 
that  honorable  and  brave  men  who  fight  each  other, 
never  so  desperately,  are  more  ready  than  others  to  be 
friends  when  the  strife  has  ceased.  Why  may  not  Han- 
cock command  the  respect  and  admiration  of  Southern 
soldiers  ?  In  him  they  behold  the  chevalier  without  f ear 
and  without  reproach — the  Union  leader  of  all  others 
the  most  terrible  in  the  rush  of  battle,  the  most  generous 
and  magnanimous  in  victory." 

So  also  a  writer  in  the  "  Boston  Post,"  January  30, 
1872,  in  discussing  the  same  subject  said:  "I  need  not 


PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION   OF   1872.  341 

speak  of  Hancock,  the  soldier  statesman,  whose  generous 
and  heroic  spirit  rolled  back  the  tide  of  despotism,  whose 
orders  and  letters  are  among  the  noblest  appeals  for  the 
supremacy  of  civil  law  to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  any 
country." 

But  his  hour  had  not  yet  come.  The  conservative 
influence  of  time  would  but  enhance  the  brilliancy  of  his 
record,  and  he  could  afford  to  wait. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Department  of  the  Atlantic — The  Babcock  Court  of  Inquiry—  General  Han- 
cock's Address — Presidential  Election  of  1876 — The  Disputed  Count — 
Popular  Excitement — The  "  Sherman  Letter." 

THE  position  of  Commander  of  the  Division  of  the 
Atlantic,  while  sufficiently  engrossing  in  the  details  ac- 
companying the  control  of  so  vast  a  territory — practically 
covering  the  entire  country  east  of  the  Mississippi,  ex- 
cepting Illinois,  and  including  Arkansas  and  that  part  of 
Louisiana  west  of  the  Mississippi — has  not,  since  the  war, 
afforded  material  for  thrilling  narrative.  Incidents  have 
occurred,  however,  during  the  period  in  question,  apart 
from  the  official  duties  entailed  by  the  command,  which 
are  important  in  their  relation  to  the  life  of  General  Han- 
cock, and  to  these  we  will  now  direct  the  attention  of  the 
reader. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1875,  General  Babcock,  pri- 
vate secretary  to  President  Grant,  fell  under  suspicion  of 
complicity  with  certain  frauds  on  the  revenue,  and,  pend- 
ing whatever  civil  action  might  be  taken,  and  at  his  own 
request,  a  Military  Court  of  Inquiry  was  convened  in 
Chicago  on  December  9th  to  investigate  and  pronounce 
upon  his  guilt  or  innocence  in  the  premises.  Upon  this 
Court  of  Inquiry,  of  which  Lieutenant-General  Sheridan 
was  president,  were  also  appointed  by  President  Grant 
Generals  Hancock  and  Terry. 


THE  BABCOCK  COURT  OF  INQUIRY.  34.3 

The  Court  assembled  on  December  9th  and  adjourned 
until  the  following  day.  In  the  mean  time  the  grand 
jury  at  St.  Louis  brought  in  a  true  bill  of  indictment 
against  General  Babcock.  On  the  reassembling  of  the 
Court  of  Inquiry  on  the  10th,  General  Hancock  rose,  and 
addressed  the  Court  in  the  following  language : 

"  A  sense  of  duty  to  the  laws,  to  the  military  service, 
and  to  the  accused,  impels  me  to  ask  your  concurrence  in 
a  postponement  of  this  inquiry  for  the  present.  We  are 
all  bound  to  believe  in  the  entire  innocence  of  Colonel 
Babcock,  and  the  presumption  can  not  be  repelled  without 
clear  evidence.  It  is  due  to  him  to  suppose  that  this 
Court  of  Inquiry  was  asked  in  good  faith  for  the  reasons 
given.  "What  were  those  reasons  ?  In  the  course  of  a 
legal  trial  in  St.  Louis,  Colonel  Babcock  was  alleged  to 
be  guilty  of  a  high  criminal  offense.  He  asked  for  a 
hearing  in  the  same  court,  but  was  informed  he  could  not 
have  it  because  the  evidence  was  closed.  Those  circum- 
stances led  him  to  demand  a  Court  of  Inquiry  as  the  only 
means  of  vindication  that  was  left.  Since  then  he  has 
been  formally  indicted,  and  he  is  now  certain  of  getting 
that  full  and  fair  trial  before  an  impartial  jury  which  the 
laws  of  the  country  guarantee  to  all  its  citizens.  The  sup- 
posed necessity  for  convening  a  military  court  for  the  de- 
termination of  his  guilt  or  innocence  no  longer  exists.  It  is 
believed  that  our  action  as  a  military  tribunal  can  not  oust 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  court  while  the  indictment  is  pend- 
ing. The  President  has  said  through  the  Attorney-General 
that  such  was  not  the  intention.  Then  the  trial  at  St. 
Louis  and  this  inquiry  must  go  on  at  the  same  time.  Un- 
less we  await  the  result  of  the  inquiry  there,  the  difficul- 
ties are  very  formidable.  The  accused  must  be  present  at 


344  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  trial  of  the  indictment.  Shall  we  proceed  and  hear 
the  cause  behind  his  back,  or  shall  we  vex  him  with  two 
trials  at  once  ?  The  injustice  of  this  is  manifest.  I  pre- 
sume, from  the  nature  of  the  case,  that  the  evidence  is 
very  voluminous,  consisting  of  records,  papers,  and  oral 
testimony.  Can  we  compel  the  production  of  these  while 
they  are  wanted  for  the  purposes  of  the  trial  at  St.  Louis  ? 
Certainly  not,  if  the  military  be,  as  the  Constitution  de- 
clares, subordinate  to  the  civil  authorities.  Shall  we  pro- 
ceed without  evidence,  and  give  an  opinion  in  ignorance 
of  the  facts  ?  That  can  not  be  the  wish  of  anybody.  I 
take  it  for  granted  that  the  trial  at  St.  Louis  will  be  fair 
as  well  as  legal,  and  that  the  judgment  will  be  according 
to  the  very  truth  and  justice  of  the  cause.  It  will  with- 
out question  be  binding  and  conclusive  upon  us,  upon  the 
Government,  upon  the  accused,  and  upon  all  the  world. 
If  he  should  be  convicted,  no  decision  of  ours  could  rescue 
him  out  of  the  hands  of  the  law.  If  he  is  acquitted,  our 
belief  in  his  innocence  will  be  of  no  consequence.  If  we 
anticipate  the  trial  in  the  civil  court,  our  judgment, 
whether  for  the  accused  or  against  him,  will  have,  and 
ought  to  have,  no  effect  upon  the  jurors.  It  can  not  even 
be  made  known  to  them,  and  any  attempt  to  influence 
them  by  it  would  justly  be  regarded  as  an  obstruction  of 
public  justice.  On  the  other  hand,  his  conviction  there 
would  be  conclusive  evidence  of  his  guilt,  and  his  acquit- 
tal will  relieve  him  from  the  necessity  of  showing  any- 
thing but  the  record.  I  do  not  propose  to  postpone  in- 
definitely, but  simply  to  adjourn  from  day  to  day,  until 
the  evidence  upon  the  subject  of  our  inquiry  shall  receive 
that  definite  and  conclusive  shape  which  will  be  impressed 
upon  it  by  a  verdict  of  the  jury,  or  until  our  action,  hav- 
ing been  referred  to  the  War  Department,  with  our  opin- 


ELECTION  OF   1876.  34.5 

ion  that  our  proceedings  should  be  stayed  during  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  court  of  law,  shall  have  been  confirmed. 
In  case  of  acquittal  by  the  civil  court,  the  functions  of  this 
Court  will  not  necessarily  have  terminated.  The  accused 
may  be  pronounced  innocent  of  any  crime  against  the 
statute,  and  yet  be  guilty  of  some  act  which  the  military 
law  might  punish  by  expulsion  from  the  army.  In  case 
of  acquittal  he  may  insist  upon  showing  to  us  that  he  has 
done  nothing  inconsistent  with  the  conduct  of  an  officer 
and  gentleman,  as  the  Article  of  "War  runs,  but  the  great 
and  important  question  is,  guilty  or  not  in  manner  and 
form,  as  he  stands  indicted — and  this  can  be  legally  an- 
swered only  by  a  jury  of  his  country." 

Immediately  on  the  conclusion  of  this  address,  the 
Court  of  Inquiry  adjourned,  in  full  accord  with  its  sense 
and  motive. 

This  occasion  and  the  course  of  General  Hancock  in 
regard  to  it  afford  one  other  illustration  of  the  spirit  of 
subordination  to  the  civil  law  which  has  characterized 
the  General  throughout  his  public  life.  It  also  affords 
renewed  evidence — if  any  were  needed — of  the  keen  in- 
sight into  the  relations  of  civil  and  military  authority 
with  which  he  is  preeminently  gifted,  and  of  his  clear 
and  convincing  method  of  expressing  his  views  on  all  oc- 
casions when  perspicuity  is  a  needed  virtue.* 

This  brings  us  to  the  year  1876,  when  a  new  Presi- 
dential election — by  the  manner  of  its  conduct,  by  the 
vast  and  engrossing  interests  at  stake,  and  by  the  extreme 
point  to  which  party  rancor  and  political  excitement 
were  permitted  to  reach — threatened  danger  to  the  con- 

*  It  is  due  to  General  Babcock  to  state  that  in  the  trial  at  St.  Louis  he 
was  acquitted. 


34:6  LI^E   OF  W1NFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

stitutional  structure  of  the  Union,  and  lighted  anew  the 
iires  of  sectional  hatred. 

It  is  no  part  of  this  history  to  recount  the  incidents 
of  this  exciting  period.  By  a  fair  half  of  the  population 
of  the  country  it  was  religiously  believed  that  Samuel 
J.  Tilden  had  been  elected  to  the  high  office  of  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States ;  by  the  remaining  moiety  it 
was  vigorously  claimed  that  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  had 
achieved  this  triumph.  The  official  count  showed  a  popu- 
lar majority  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  in  favor  of  Mr.  Til- 
den.  In  the  Electoral  College  the  question  turned  on  the 
just  possession  by  one  candidate  or  the  other  of  a  single 
vote.  "Wise  men  stumbled  when  brought  to  encounter 
this  new  factor  in  a  republican  system  of  government ; 
good  men  were  appalled  at  the  possible  consequences  of 
a  decision  either  way.  Daring  not  to  conclude  the  gov- 
ernment of  more  than  forty  millions  of  free  people  on 
the  basis  of  what  evidence  was  available,  those  in  whose 
hands  the  terrible  responsibility  rested  had  recourse  to 
the  old-time  refuge  of  daunted  public  leaders — a  com- 
promise. An  "  Electoral  Commission "  was  evoked  out 
of  nothing,  an  extra-constitutional  act ;  and,  by  the  mem- 
orable vote  of  "eight  to  seven,"  this  anomalous  body 
declared  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  to  have  received  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five,  and  Samuel  J.  Tilden  one  hundred 
and  eighty-four  of  the  electoral  votes  cast  for  President  of 
the  United  States — and  President  Hayes  entered  upon  the 
occupancy  of  the  office  and  the  performance  of  its  duties. 

But,  in  this  republican  and  free  country,  no  such  vast 
and  organic  disturbance  in  the  body  politic  could  by  pos- 
sibility occur  without  shaking  to  its  crown  the  substance 
of  public  opinion  ;  without  permeating  with  its  terrible 
and  sardonic  questioning  every  stratum  of  society.  And 


SHERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  347 

it  befell  that,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest — man,  woman, 
and  child ;  the  millionaire  capitalist  in  the  metropolis  and 
the  Georgia  "  cracker  "  ;  the  ex-slave  working  his  own  bit 
of  a  cotton-field  ;  the  old-fashioned  conservative  Missis- 
sippi planter ;  the  Irish-American  and  the  German- Amer- 
ican— with  one  and  all,  the  question  paramount  occupied 
all  minds  and  hearts,  and  deferred  all  other  questions  until 
its  settlement  should  be  effected. 

And  naturally  it  befell  that  the  soldier — whether  he 
had  worn  the  gray  or  the  blue — became  engrossed  with 
the  rest  in  this  new  and  suddenly  awakened  tempest  of 
inquiry.  But  to  those  officers  of  the  United  States  Army 
—men  who  had  swayed  its  fortunes  and  the  fortunes  of 
the  country  from  Alexandria  to  Appomattox  ;  those  who 
stood  high  in  rank,  and  held  in  charge  a  fealty  to  free- 
dom, to  the  Constitution,  and  to  the  Union  that  only 
death  could  loosen;  to  those  great  captains  in  the  war 
who  still  in  peace  held  watch  and  ward  over  the  safety 
and  honor  of  their  country — the  questions  that  were  rend- 
ing the  fabric  of  our  republicanism  in  1876  appealed 
with  stern  and  unrelenting  mastery,  and  would  not  be 
withheld. 

And,  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  those  troublous 
times,  General  "W.  T.  Sherman  addressed  in  conference 
Major-General  Winfield  Scott  Hancock,  which  act  brought 
about  a  correspondence  which  we  are  now  permitted  to 
lay  before  our  readers.  Prominent  in  this  correspon- 
dence will  be  found  the  important  letter  of  General  Han- 
cock from  Carondelet — a  letter  which  lay  for  four  years 
silent,  to  speak  at  last  in  loud  reply  to  whispered  slanders 
and  contemptuous  reference,  with  such  force  of  right- 
eous purpose,  and  with  such  dignity  of  manly  power 
and  knowledge,  as  to  send  hurtling  back  among  a  crowd 


348  LIFE   OF  WTXFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

of  defamers   tlie  paper  pellets  of  libel  and  defamation 
changed  to  fiery  missiles  of  shaming  and  condemnation. 

General  Hancock's  letter  was  written  at  a  time  while 
lie  was  alone,  attending  to  family  affairs,  at  Carondelet, 
without  an  amanuensis,  and  was  copied  by  the  General 
himself,  the  first  draft  being  unpresentable.  In  the  course 
of  the  campaign  of  1880  some  knowledge  of  the  writing  of 
this  letter  was  brought  to  the  Republican  press,  and  charges 
were  at  once  instigated  in  that  quarter,  to  the  effect  that 
the  communication  to  General  Sherman  had  been  of  a 
treasonable  character,  and  was  calculated,  if  made  public, 
to  damage  the  reputation  of  its  writer  as  a  soldier  and  a 
patriot ;  this,  too>  in  entire  disregard  of  the  contingent 
insult  inflicted  upon  the  noble  soldier  and  gentleman  to 
whom  the  letter  was  written,  by  the  judgment  that  he 
could  by  any  possibility  have  agreed  in  a  traitorous  cor- 
respondence with  the  hero  of  Gettysburg.  With  such 
blindness  in  seasons  of  political  excitement  are  stricken 
those  to  whom  politics  is  a  profession  and  the  honor  and 
progress  of  their  country  a  pecuniary  interest  alone. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  Sherman-Hancock  Correspondence— Telegram  from  General  Sherman — 
General  Sherman's  Letter  of  December  4, 1876— Hancock  to  Sherman  ; 
Leave  of  Absence — General  Sherman's  Letter  of  December  17,  1876: 
A  Newspaper  Story — General  Hancock's  Letter  from  Carondelet— Tele- 
gram :  Hancock  to  Sherman — General  Sherman's  Letter  of  January  2, 
1877  ;  Reply  to  the  Carondelet  Letter — Hancock  to  Sherman  :  Contem- 
plated Uprising — Hancock  to  Sherman — Hancock  to  the  Editor  of  the 
"  World  " — Hancock  to  Sherman  :  the  Electoral  Commission — Sher- 
man to  Hancock  :  January  29,  1877. 

[TiiE  publishers  acknowledge  the  courtesy  of  the 
General  of  the  Army  in  furnishing  them  with  the  fol- 
lowing correspondence  upon  their  solicitation.  This 
is  exclusive  of  the  letter  of  December  28th  from  Caron- 
delet, which  was  given  to  the  public  through  the  enter- 
prise of  the  editor  of  the  New  York  "  World,"  who 
dispatched  a  special  messenger  to  General  Sherman,  in 
Dakota,  to  obtain  the  necessary  permission.] 

(COPY  OF  TELEGBAM.) 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  December  4,  1876. 

"  To  GENERAL  W.  S.  HANCOCK,  Commanding  Division 

of  the  Atlantic,  New  York  City. 
"  You  can  take  your  leave  now — the  time  is  appro- 
priate. 

(Signed)  UW.  T.  SHERMAN,  General. 

"A  true  copy. 
"  Jxo.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  C." 


350  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 


"HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  December  4,  1876. 

"  GENERAL  W.  S.  HANCOCK,  New  York  City. 

"  DEAR  GENERAL  :  I  have  just  received  your  letter  of 
the  3d,  and  have  telegraphed  you  my  consent  to  your 
proposed  trip.  I  can  not  foresee  any  objections,  and 
hope  soon,  that  events  will  admit  of  the  return  to  their 
posts  of  the  companies  detached  at  the  South ;  but  every 
time  I  make  a  move  in  that  direction  I  am  met  by  insur- 
mountable objections.  Three  of  the  companies  of  the 
First  Artillery  from  Fort  Sill  reported  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
yesterday,  and  will  be  here  this  evening.  Everything  is 
ready  for  them.  The  last  company,  I  suppose,  was  de- 
tained at  Sill  to  await  the  relief  on  the  way.  Tell  Gen- 
eral Fry  (Adjutant- General)  that,  in  case  of  any  orders,  I 
will  have  them  sent  to  you  at  New  York,  and  he  can  exe- 
cute them.  The  political  orders  to  Ruger  at  Columbia  I 
preferred  should  go  from  the  President  to  him  through 
the  Secretary  of  War.  They  were  not  military.  I  dislike 
much  to  have  our  soldiers  used  in  connection  with  a  legis- 
lative body,  but  orders  coming  from  the  President  have 
to  be  obeyed.  They  form  a  bad  precedent,  but  thus  far 
have  prevented  a  collision  of  arms  between  inflamed  par- 
tisans. 

"  I  trust  you  will  find  Mrs.  Hancock  and  your  St. 
Louis  friends  well. 

"  Truly  yours, 
(Signed)  "  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  General. 

"  A  true  copy. 
"  JNO.  M.  BACOX,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  C." 


SHERMAN'S  LETTER  OF  DECEMBER   17,  1876.          351 

"HEADQUARTERS,  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  ATLANTIC, 

"  NEW  YORK,  December  6,  1876. 

"TiiE  ADJUTANT  GENERAL,  U.  S.   Army,  Washington, 

z>.  a 

"  SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  I  leave 
New  York  this  evening  for  St.  Louis  for  a  short  absence 
by  permission  of  the  General  of  the  Army. 

"  My  post-office  address,  while  absent,  will  be  Caron- 
delet  P.  O.,  South  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  my  telegraphic 
address  will  be  'care  of  Commanding  Officer,  St.  Louis 
Arsenal,  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.' 

"  Yery  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  "  WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK, 

"  Major-  General  Commanding. 

"A.  true  copy. 
"  JOHN  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  <7." 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  December  17,  1876. 

"  GENERAL  "W.  S.  HANCOCK,  Jefferson  Barracks,  Missouri. 

"  MY  DEAR  GENERAL  :  Lest  your  peace  of  mind  may 
be  disturbed  by  the  foolish  report,  bandied  in  the  news- 
papers, about  your  being  ordered  from  New  York,  I  will 
tell  you  that  there  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  it. 

"  Neither  the  President  nor  Secretary  of  War  has  ever 
intimated  to  me  such  a  purpose,  and  I  know  I  have  never 
said  a  word  or  written  a  syllable  to  the  effect. 

"  I  see  in  the  '  Republican '  (of  St.  Louis)  that  not  only 
was  the  order  made,  but  that  I  destroyed  it  and  tore  out 
the  leaves  of  the  record  book  containing  the  copy.  The 
whole  thing  was,  and  is,  an  invention  by  somebody  who 
wanted  to  create  a  sensation.  The  same  is  true  about 
John  Sherman  intriguing  to  be  President  of  the  Senate, 


352  LIFE  OF  WINFJELD  SCOTT  IIAXCOCK. 

that  he  might  be  President  ad  interim.  He  has  told  me 
that  he  has  never  heard  the  subject  broached ;  that  he 
would  not  accept  the  place,  as  he  prefers  to  be  what  he 
is  now,  Chairman  of  the  Senate  Committee  on  Finance. 
I  hope  you  find  the  family  in  good  health  and  spirits, 
and  I  hope  you  will  spend  with  me  a  peaceful  and  happy 
week  of  holidays.  This  letter  may  be  superfluous,  but 
the  emphatic  repetitions  of  a  wild  rumor  in  the  *  St.  Louis 
Republican '  suggested  to  me  the  propriety  of  my  correct- 
ing an  impression,  if  made  on  you. 

"  No  serious  changes  in  command  are  being  contem- 
plated ;  and,  when  they  are,  you  may  be  sure  that  I  will 
give  you  the  earliest  notice.  There  are  men,  on  mischief 
intent,  who  would  gladly  sow  the  seeds  of  dissension 
among  us  of  the  army. 

"  Truly  your  friend, 
(Signed)  "  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 

u  A  true  copy. 
"  JNO.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  £" 

"  CARONDELET  P.  0.,  ST.  Louis,  Mo., 

"December  28,  1876. 

"To  GENEEAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Commanding  Army  of 

the  United  States,  Washington,  D.  C. 
"  MY  DEAE  GENEEAL  :  Your  favor  of  the  4th  instant 
reached  me  in  New  York  on  the  5th,  the  day  before  I  left 
for  the  West.  I  intended  to  reply  to  it  before  leaving, 
but  cares  incident  to  departure  interfered.  Then  again, 
since  my  arrival  here,  I  have  been  so  occupied  with  per- 
sonal affairs  of  a  business  nature  that  I  have  deferred 
writing  from  day  to  day  until  this  moment,  and  now  I 
find  myself  in  debt  to  you  another  letter  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  your  favor  of  the  17th,  received  a  few  days  since. 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  SHERMAN.  353 

"  I  have  concluded  to  leave  here  on  the  29th  (to-mor- 
row) P.  M.,  so  that  I  may  be  expected  in  New  York  on 
the  31st  inst.  It  has  been  cold  and  dreary  since  my  arri- 
val here.  I  have  worked  '  like  a  Turk '  (I  presume  that 
means  hard  work)  in  the  country,  in  making  fences,  cut- 
ting down  trees,  and  repairing  buildings,  and  am  at  least 
able  to  say  that  St.  Louis  is  the  coldest  place  in  the  win- 
ter, as  it  is  the  hottest  in  the  summer,  of  any  that  I 
have  encountered  in  a  temperate  zone.  I  have  known 
St.  Louis  in  December  to  have  genial  weather  throughout 
the  month ;  this  December  has  been  frigid,  and  the  river 
has  been  frozen  more  solid  than  I  have  ever  known  it. 

"  When  I  heard  the  rumor  that  I  was  ordered  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  I  thought  it  probably  true,  considering  the 
past  discussion  on  that  subject.  The  possibilities  seemed 
to  me  to  point  that  way.  Had  it  been  true,  I  should,  of 
course,  have  presented  no  complaint  nor  made  resistance 
of  any  kind.  I  would  have  gone  quietly,  if  not  prepared 
to  go  promptly.  I  certainly  would  have  been  relieved 
from  the  responsibility  and  anxieties  concerning  Presi- 
dential matters,  which  may  fall  to  those  "  near  the  throne  " 
or  in  authority  within  the  next  few  months,  as  well  as 
from  other  incidents  or  matters  which  I  could  not  con- 
trol, and  the  action  concerning  which  I  might  not  approve. 
I  was  not  exactly  prepared  to  go  to  the  Pacific,  however, 
and  I  therefore  felt  relieved  when  I  received  your  note 
informing  me  that  there  was  no  truth  in  the  rumors. 

"  Then  I  did  not  wish  to  appear  to  be  escaping  from 
responsibilities  and  possible  dangers  which  may  cluster 
around  military  commanders  in  the  East,  especially  in  the 
critical  period  fast  approaching.  <  All's  well  that  ends 
well.'  The  whole  matter  of  the  Presidency  seems  to  me 
to  be  simple  and  to  admit  of  a  peaceful  solution.  The 


354:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

machinery  for  siich  a  contingency  as  threatens  to  present 
itself  has  been  all  carefully  prepared.  It  only  requires 
lubrication,  owing  to  disuse.  The  army  should  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  selection  or  inauguration  of  Presi- 
dents. The  people  elect  the  President.  The  Congress 
declares  in  a  joint  session  who  he  is.  "We  of  the  army 
have  only  to  obey  his  mandates,  and  are  protected  in  so 
doing  only  so  far  as  they  may  be  lawful.  Our  commis- 
sions express  that.  I  like  Jefferson's  way  of  inaugura- 
tion ;  it  suits  our  system.  He  rode  alone  on  horseback 
to  the  Capitol  (I  fear  it  was  the  'Old  Capitol'),  tied  his 
horse  to  a  rail  fence,  entered,  and  was  duly  sworn,  then 
rode  to  the  Executive  Mansion  and  took  possession.  He 
inaugurated  himself  simply  by  taking  the  oath  of  office. 
There  is  no  other  legal  inauguration  in  our  system.  The 
people  or  politicians  may  institute  parades  in  honor  of 
the  event,  and  public  officials  may  add  to  the  pageant  by 
assembling  troops  and  banners,  but  all  that  only  comes 
properly  after  the  inauguration — not  before ;  and  it  is 
not  a  part  of  it.  Our  system  does  not  provide  that  one 
President  should  inaugurate  another.  There  might  be 
danger  in  that,  and  it  was  studiously  left  out  of  the  char- 
ter. But  you  are  placed  in  an  exceptionally  important 
position  in  connection  with  coming  events.  The  capital 
is  in  my  jurisdiction  also,  but  I  am  a  subordinate,  and 
not  on  the  spot,  and,  if  I  were,  so  also  would  be  my  supe- 
rior in  authority,  for  there  is  the  station  of  the  general- 
in-chief. 

"  On  the  principle  that  a  regularly  elected  President's 
term  of  office  expires  with  the  3d  of  March  (of  which  I 
have  not  the  slightest  doubt),  and  which  the  laws  bearing 
on  the  subject  uniformly  recognize,  and  in  consideration 
of  the  possibility  that  the  lawfully  elected  President  may 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  SHERMAN.  355 

not  appear  until  the  5th  of  March,  a  great  deal  of  respon- 
sibility may  necessarily  fall  upon  you.  You  hold  over  ! 
You  will  have  power  and  prestige  to  support  you.  The 
Secretary  of  War,  too,  probably  holds  over ;  but,  if  no 
President  appears,  he  may  not  be  able  to  exercise  func- 
tions in  the  name  of  a  President,  for  his  proper  acts  are 
those  of  a  known  superior — a  lawful  President.  You 
act  on  your  own  responsibility,  and  by  virtue  of  a  com- 
mission only  restricted  by  the  law.  The  Secretary  of 
War  is  the  mouthpiece  of  a  President.  You  are  not. 
If  neither  candidate  has  a  constitutional  majority  of  the 
Electoral  College,  or  the  Senate  and  House  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  count  do  not  unite  in  declaring  some  person 
legally  elected  by  the  people,  there  is  a  lawful  machinery 
already  provided  to  meet  that  contingency  and  to  decide 
the  question  peacefully.  It  has  not  been  recently  used, 
no  occasion  presenting  itself,  but  our  forefathers  provided 
it.  It  has  been  exercised,  and  has  been  recognized  and 
submitted  to  as  lawful  on  every  hand.  That  machinery 
would  probably  elect  Mr.  Tilden  President,  and  Mr. 
Wheeler  Yice-President.  That  would  be  right  enough, 
for  the  law  provides  that,  in  a  failure  to  elect  duly  by  the 
people,  the  House  shall  immediately  elect  the  President, 
and  the  Senate  the  Yice-President.  Some  tribunal  must 
decide  whether  the  people  have  duly  elected  a  President. 
I  presume,  of  course,  that  it  is  in  the  joint  affirmative  ac- 
tion of  the  Senate  and  House,  or  why  are  they  present  to 
witness  the  count  if  not  to  see  that  it  is  fair  and  just  ? 
If  a  failure  to  agree  arises  between  the  two  bodies,  there 
can  be  no  lawful  affirmative  decision  that  the  people  have 
elected  a  President,  and  the  House  must  then  proceed  to 
act,  not  the  Senate.  The  Senate  elects  Yice-Presidents, 
not  Presidents.  Doubtless,  in  case  of  a  failure  by  the 


356  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

House  to  elect  a  President  by  the  4th  of  March,  the 
President  of  the  Senate  (if  there  be  one)  would  be  the 
legitimate  person  to  exercise  Presidential  authority  for 
the  time  being,  or  until  the  appearance  of  a  lawful  Presi- 
dent, or  for  the  time  laid  down  in  the  Constitution. 
Such  courses  would  be  peaceful,  and,  I  have  a  firm  be- 
lief, lawful. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  Governor  Hayes  would  make  an  ex- 
cellent President.  I  have  met  him  and  know  of  him. 
For  a  brief  period  he  served  under  my  command ;  but,  as 
the  matter  stands,  I  can't  see  any  likelihood  of  his  being 
duly  declared  elected  by  the  people,  unless  the  Senate  and 
House  come  to  be  in  accord  as  to  that  fact,  and  the 
House  would,  of  course,  not  otherwise  elect  him.  What 
the  people  want  is  a  peaceful  determination  of  this  mat- 
ter, as  fair  a  determination  as  possible,  and  a  lawful  one. 
No  other  determination  could  stand  the  test.  The  coun- 
try, if  not  plunged  into  revolution,  would  become  poorer 
day  by  day,  business  would  languish,  and  our  bonds 
would  come  home  to  find  a  depreciated  market. 

"  I  was  not  in  favor  of  the  military  action  in  South 
Carolina  recently,  and,  it  General  Ruger  had  telegraphed 
to  me  or  asked  for  advice,  I  would  have  advised  him  not, 
under  any  circumstances,  to  allow  himself  or  his  troops 
to  determine  who  were  the  lawful  members  of  a  State 
Legislature.  I  could  have  given  him  no  better  advice  than 
to  refer  him  to  the  special  message  of  the  President  in 
the  case  of  Louisiana  some  time  before. 

"But,  in  South  Carolina,  he  had  the  question  set- 
tled by  a  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State — 
the  highest  tribunal  which  had  acted  on  the  question- 
so  that  his  line  of  duty  seemed  even  to  be  clearer  than 
the  action  in  the  Louisiana  case.  If  the  Federal  court 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  TO  SHERMAN.  357 

had  interfered  and  overruled  the  decision  of  the  State 
court,  there  might  have  been  a  doubt,  certainly ;  but  the 
Federal  court  only  interfered  to  complicate — not  to  de- 
cide or  overrule. 

"  Anyhow,  it  is  no  business  of  the  army  to  enter  upon 
such  questions,  and  even  if  it  might  be  so  in  any  event, 
if  the  civil  authority  is  supreme,  as  the  Constitution  de- 
clares it  to  be,  the  South  Carolina  case  was  one  in  which 
the  army  had  a  plain  duty. 

"  Had  General  Ruger  asked  me  for  advice,  and  if  I  had 
given  it,  I  should  of  course  have  notified  you  of  my  action 
immediately,  so  that  it  could  have  been  promptly  over- 
ruled if  it  should  have  been  deemed  advisable  by  you  or 
other  superior  authority.  General  Ruger  did  not  ask 
for  my  advice,  and  I  inferred  from  that  and  other  facts 
that  he  did  not  desire  it,  or — being  in  direct  communi- 
cation with  my  military  superiors  at  the  seat  of  Gov- 
ernment, wrho  were  nearer  to  him  in  time  and  distance 
than  I  was — he  deemed  it  unnecessary.  As  General 
Ruger  had  the  ultimate  responsibility  of  action,  and  had 
really  the  greater  danger  to  confront  in  the  final  action  in 
the  matter,  I  did  not  venture  to  embarrass  him  by  sugges- 
tions. He  was  a  Department  Commander,  and  the  law- 
ful head  of  the  military  administration  within  the  limits 
of  the  Department ;  besides,  I  knew  that  he  had  been 
called  to  Washington  for  consultation  before  taking  com- 
mand, and  was  probably  aware  of  the  views  of  the  Ad- 
ministration as  to  civil  affairs  in  his  command.  I  knew 
that  he  was  in  direct  communication  with  my  superiors 
in  authority  in  reference  to  the  delicate  subjects  present- 
ed for  his  consideration,  or  had  ideas  of  his  own  which  he 
believed  to  be  sufficiently  in  accord  with  the  views  of  our 
common  superiors  to  enable  him  to  act  intelligently  ac- 


358  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

cording  to  his  judgment,  and  without  suggestions  from 
those  not  on  the  spot  and  not  so  fully  acquainted  with 
the  facts  as  himself.  He  desired,  too,  to  be  free  to  act,  as 
he  had  the  eventual  greater  responsibility,  and  so  the 
matter  was  governed  as  between  him  and  myself. 

"  As  I  have  been  writing  thus  freely  to  you,  I  may 
still  further  unbosom  myself  by  stating  that  I  have  not 
thought  it  lawful  or  wise  to  use  Federal  troops  in  such 
matters  as  have  transpired  east  of  the  Mississippi  within 
the  last  few  months,  save  as  far  as  they  may  be  brought 
into  action  under  the  Constitution,  which  contemplates 
meeting  armed  resistance  or  invasion  of  a  State  more 
powerful  than  the  State  authorities  can  subdue  by  the  or- 
dinary processes,  and  then  only  when  requested  by  the 
Legislature,  or,  if  it  could  not  be  convened  in  season,  by 
the  Governor;  and  when  the  President  of  the  United 
States  intervenes  in  that  manner  it  is  a  state  of  war,  not 
peace. 

"  The  army  is  laboring  under  disadvantages,  and  has 
been  used  unlawfully  at  times,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
people  (in  mine  certainly),  and  we  have  lost  a  great  deal 
of  the  kindly  feeling  which  the  community  at  large  once 
felt  for  us.  It  is  time  to  stop  and  unload. 

"  Officers  in  command  of  troops  often  find  it  difficult 
to  act  wisely  and  safely  when  superiors  in  authority  have 
different  views  of  the  law  from  theirs,  and  when  legisla- 
tion has  sanctioned  action  seemingly  in  conflict  with  the 
fundamental  law,  and  they  generally  defer  to  the  known 
judgment  of  their  superiors.  Yet  the  superior  officers  of 
the  army  are  so  regarded  in  such  great  crises,  and  are 
held  to  such  responsibility,  especially  those  at  or  near  the 
head  of  it,  that  it  is  necessary  on  such  momentous  occa- 
sions to  dare  to  determine  for  themselves  what  is  lawful 


SHERMAN'S  LETTER  TO  HANCOCK.  359 

and  what  is  not  lawful  under  our  system,  if  the  military 
authorities  should  be  invoked,  as  might  possibly  be  the 
case  in  such  exceptional  times  when  there  existed  such  di- 
vergent views  as  to  the  correct  result.  The  army  will 
suffer  from  its  past  action  if  it  has  acted  wrongfully. 
Our  regular  army  has  little  hold  upon  the  affections  of 
the  people  of  to-day,  and  its  superior  officers  should  cer- 
tainly, as  far  as  lies  in  their  power,  legally  and  with 
righteous  intent,  aim  to  defend  the  right,  which  to  us  is 
THE  LAW,  and  the  institution  which  they  represent.  It  is 
a  well-meaning  institution,  and  it  would  be  well  if  it 
should  have  an  opportunity  to  be  recognized  as  a  bul- 
wark in  support  of  the  rights  of  the  people  and  of  THE 
LAW.  I  am  truly  yours, 

"WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK. 

"  To  GENERAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN, 

"  Commanding  Army  of  the  United  States,  Washington,  D.  C" 

(COPY  OF  TELEGRAM.) 

"  ST.  Louis  ARSENAL,  Mo.,  December  29,  1876. 

"To  GENERAL  "W.  T.  SHERMAN,  U.  S.  A.,  Washington, 

D.  C. 

"  I  leave  this  evening  for  New  York. 
(Signed)  "  HANCOCK, 

"  Major- General. 
"A  trite  copy. 
"  JNO.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  <?." 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

"  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  January  2,  L877. 

"  GENERAL  "W.  S.  HANCOCK,  New   York. 

"  DEAR  GENERAL  :  I  did  not  receive  your  most  in- 
teresting letter  of  December  28th,  from  Carondelet,  Mo., 
till  yesterday.  I  am  very  glad  to  have  your  views  in 


360  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

extenso  upon  subjects  of  such  vital  importance.  Our 
standard  opinions  are  mostly  formed  on  the  practice  of 
our  predecessors ;  but  a  great  change  was  made  after  the 
close  of  the  civil  war,  by  the  amendments  of  the  Con- 
stitution giving  to  the  freed  slaves  certain  civil  and  politi- 
cal rights,  and  empowering  Congress  to  make  the  laws 
necessary  to  enforce  these  rights.  This  power  is  new  and 
absolute,  and  Congress  has  enacted  laws  with  which  we 
are  not  yet  familiar  and  accustomed.  See  pages  348,  349, 
and  350,  Eevised  Statutes  (Section  1989),  Edition  1873-'4. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  dislike  to  have  our  army  used 
in  these  civil  conflicts,  but  the  President  has  the  lawful 
right  to  use  the  army  and  navy,  and  has  exercised  the 
right,  as  he  believes,  lawfully  and  rightfully,  and  our  duty 
has  been,  and  is,  to  sustain  him  with  zeal  and  sincerity. 

"  As  to  the  Presidential  election,  we  are  in  no  manner 
required  to  take  the  least  action,  but  to  recognize  him  as 
President  whom  the  lawfully  appointed  officers  declare  to 
be  such  person.  I  hope  and  pray  that  the  Congress  will 
agree  on  some  method  before  the  day  and  hour  arrive. 
But,  in  case  of  failure  to  elect  by  or  before  the  4th  of 
March,  there  will  be  a  vacancy  in  'both  offices  of  President 
and  Yice-President,  in  which  event  the  President  of  the 
Senate  becomes  President  pro  tempore,  and  a  new  election 
will  have  to  be  held  under  the  law  of  1792.  See  Title 
III.,  chap.  I.,  pages  21,  22,  and  23,  Eevised  Statutes. 

"  It  is  well  we  should  compare  notes  and  agree  before 
the  crisis  is  on  us ;  but  I  surely  hope  we  may  pass  this 
ordeal  safely  and  peacefully. 

"  I  will  be  pleased  to  hear  from  you  at  any  time. 
(Signed)  "W.  T.  SHEKMAN." 

"  A  true  copy. 
"JNO.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  <7." 


HANCOCK'S  LETTER  OF  JANUARY  2,  1877.  361 

"HEADQUARTERS,  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  ATLANTIC, 

"NEW  YORK,  January  2,  1877. 

"  GENERAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  United  States  Army,  Wash- 
ington, D.  0. 

"  GENERAL  :  An  anonymous  communication  to  the 
Secretary  of  War,  dated  Louisville,  Kentucky,  December 
16,  1876,  reached  my  headquarters  on  the  27th  of  that 
month,  from  the  office  of  the  Adjutant-General  of  the 
Army. 

"  It  represents  that,  c  in  the  contemplated  uprising  of 
the  people  to  enforce  the  inauguration  of  Tilden  and 
Hendricks,  the  depot  at  Jeffersonville  is  to  be  seized,  and 
is  expected  to  arm  and  clothe  the  Indiana  army  of  Demo- 
crats.' 

"  The  endorsement  on _  this  communication,  made  at 
your  headquarters,  dated  December  26,  1876,  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  c  Official  copy  respectfully  referred  to  Major-Gen- 
eral W.  S.  Hancock,  Commanding  Division  of  the  Atlan- 
tic, who  may  draw  a  company  from  General  Ruger, 
Commanding  Department  of  the  South,  and  post  it  at  the 
Jeffersonville  depot,  with  orders  to  protect  it  against  any 
danger.' 

"  The  terms  of  the  endorsement  imply  an  exercise  of 
discretion  on  my  part,  which  leads  me  to  write  you  before 
taking  action. 

"  In  my  judgment  there  is  no  danger  of  the  kind  the 
anonymous  communication  sets  forth,  or  other  kind,  at 
Jeffersonville  depot  to  justify  a  movement  of  troops  to 
that  place.  Such  a  movement,  it  seems  to  me,  would  in- 
volve unnecessary  expense,  and  would  create  or  increase 
apprehension  for  which  there  is  no  real  foundation. 

"  There  are  no  arms  or  ammunition  at  the  Jefferson- 

16 


362  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

ville  depot,  and,  if  such  a  force  as  is  referred  to  could 
be  raised  for  rebellious  purposes,  it  is  not  likely  that  it 
would  begin  by  seizing  a  depot  of  army  uniforms  ;  and, 
therefore,  if  there  are  grounds  for  action  of  the  Govern- 
ment, I  see  no  danger  in  the  delay  which  will  result  from 
this  presentation  of  the  subject  to  you. 

"If,  however,  in  your  better  judgment,  a  company 
should  be  sent  there,  it  shall  be  promptly  done  as  soon 
as  you  notify  me  to  that  effect.  As  I  have  already  said, 
I  do  not  act  at  once,  because  in  your  instructions  you  say 
I  'may'  send  a  company  there,  which  I  construe  as 
leaving  it  somewhat  discretionary  with  me. 

"I  returned  on  the  31st  of  December,  1876,  from  St. 
Louis. 

"  I  am,  very  truly  yours, 
(Signed)  "WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK, 

"  Major-  General  Commanding. 
"A  true  copy. 
"JNO.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  <7." 


YORK,  January  9,  1877. 

"  GENERAL  "W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Commanding  U.  S.  Army, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

"  MY  DEAR  GENERAL  :  I  have  been  intending  to  write 
to  you  in  acknowledgment  of  your  two  recent  notes,  but 
I  have  been  so  much  engaged  in  hunting  a  place  for  the 
winter  and  <  gathering  '  up  my  affairs  of  business  as  well 
as  personal  matters,  owing  to  my  recent  absence,  that  I 
have  deferred  doing  so. 

"  Now  I  write  to  inclose  you  a  copy  of  a  letter  I  ad- 
dressed yesterday  to  the  editor  of  the  '  World,'  in  refer- 
ence to  an  article  (special  dispatch)  which  appeared  in 
that  paper  on  Sunday,  the  7th.  The  <  World'  corrects 


HANCOCK  TO  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  "WORLD."       363 

the  matter  in  its  issue  of  this  morning.  I  would  have 
preferred  the  publication  of  my  letter,  but,  as  I  gave  the 
editor  latitude  as  to  the  manner  of  correction,  I  can  not 
complain,  I  suppose. 

"  I  have  written  to  no  one  on  the  subject  of  my  order 
to  go  to  the  Pacific— reported  by  the  newspapers — save 
yourself.  I  have  said  nothing  to  any  one  differing  in 
letter  or  spirit  from  what  I  wrote  to  you ;  and  I  have  not 
seen  "Buford  for  years,  or  heard  of  him,  nor  do  I  know  of 
any  person  who  has,  in  that  time,  met  or  communicated 
with  him. 

"  I  inclose  you  a  copy  of  the  '  "World's '  publication. 

"  I  am,  very  truly  yours, 
(Signed)  "  WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK, 

"  Major- General. 
"A  true  copy. 
"  JNO.  M.  BAOOX,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  £". 

"  INCL03TTRE." 

"NEW  YORK,  January  8,  1877. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIK  :  I  inclose  a  slip  cut  from  the  '  World ' 
of  yesterday  (a  special  dispatch  from  "Washington) 
headed : 

"A   RESCINDED   ORDER. 

"  Did  General  Hancock  refuse  to  be  transferred  to 
the  Pacific  coast  ? 

"  As  an  authority  is  given  for  the  communication,  it 
seems  that  I  should  publicly  notice  the  same,  and  it 
would  gratify  me  if  you  would,  in  the  manner  you  may 
deem  best,  make  such  correction  as  would  be  most  likely 
to  remove  any  misapprehension  on  the  subject. 

"  I  have  not  received  any  orders  transferring  me  from 
this  station,  nor  any  intimation  of  the  existence  or  con- 
templation of  such  orders.  Hence,  I  did  not  refuse  to  be 


364:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

transferred  to  the  Pacific  coast.  I  have  not  tendered  my 
resignation.  All  of  my  information  in  the  matter  has 
been  derived  from  the  newspapers  of  the  day.  I  had  no 
communication  whatever  relating  to  the  subject  with  the 
authorities  until  after  the  rumor  of  my  removal  was  pub- 
lished from  Washington  as  groundless.  Then  General 
Sherman  wrote  me  a  note  to  the  same  effect. 

"  I  am  in  no  wise  responsible  for  any  statement  con- 
tained in  the  dispatch  in  question,  or  for  any  misconcep- 
tion which  has  arisen  concerning  this  subject  from  first 
to  last. 

"  I  am,  very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  "WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK." 

"  To  Mr.  WILLIAM  II.  HURLBURT,  Editor  New  Yorlc  '  World,1  No.  32 
Wcwerly  Place,  New  York. 

"  A  true  copy. 
(Signed)     "JOHN  S.  WHARTON. 

"  A  true  copy. 
"  JNO.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  C." 

"NEW  YORK,  January  19,  1877. 

"  GENERAL  "W.  T.  SHERMAN,  United  States  Army,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

"  MY  DEAR  GENERAL  :  I  have  been  quite  busy  since  my 
arrival,  and  have  not  felt  like  writing  much,  so  that  I 
have  not  yet  written  to  you  as  I  intended,  in  reply  to 
your  favor  acknowledging  receipt  of  my  letter  from  Ca- 
rondelet.  I  wished  to  notice  simply  your  reference  to 
the  Revised  Statutes,  and  one  or  two  other  points,  in  a 
brief  way.  I  will  do  so  yet,  but  not  to  day,  as  I  am 
house-hunting,  or  apartment  or  hotel  hunting  rather. 
It  is  too  late  in  the  season  to  accomplish  much  here  in 
that  way — save  to  pay  out  money  and  get  but  little  satis- 
faction in  return. 


SHERMAN'S  LETTER  TO   HANCOCK.  3(J5 

"  The  proposition  for  the  joint  committee  insures  a 
peaceful  solution  of  the  Presidential  question  if  it  becomes 
a  law,  and,  in  my  opinion,  gives  to  General  Hayes  chances 
he  did  not  have  before.  I  have  considered  that  Mr.  Til- 
den's  chances  were  impregnable.  .  .  .  Not  so  Mr.  Hen- 
dricks's.  Now  it  seems  to  me  that  Governor  Hayes  has 
something  more  than  an  equal  chance,  but  the  definite 
results  can  not  be  foreshadowed.  Fortunately,  trouble 
need  not  be  provided  against  by  the  use  of  the  army, 
should  the  bill  become  a  law. 

"  If  the  bill  passes,  and  General  Grant  vetoes  it,  Mr. 
Tilden's  chances  will  be  stronger  than  before — certainly 
if  he  and  his  friends  supported  the  measure.  Public 
opinion  will  strengthen  his  position. 

"The  danger  in  the  compromise  question  or  joint 
committee  plan  is,  that  the  defeated  candidate  might  ap- 
peal to  the  Supreme  Court  on  grounds  of  illegal  (uncon- 
stitutional) decisions. 

"  I  am,  very  truly  yours, 
(Signed)  "WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK. 

"  P.  -6.  Somebody,  possibly  Fry,  has  been  writing  on 
the  subject  of  military  discipline,  etc.,  in  the  '  Army  and 
Navy  Journal '  of  this  week.  It  is  worth  reading. 

"  A  true  copy. 
"  JNO.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and  A.  D.  C" 

"HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  January  29,  1877. 

"  GENERAL  W.  S.  HANCOCK,  Commanding  Military  Divi- 
sion of  the  Atlantic. 

"  GENERAL  :  The  passage  of  the  bill  for  counting  the 
electoral  vote,  approved  by  the  President,  ends,  in  my 
judgment,  all  possible  danger  of  confusion  or  disorder  in 


366  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

connection  with  the  Presidential  imbroglio.  I  feel  cer- 
tain that  the  dual  governments  in  South  Carolina  and 
Louisiana  will  be  decided  by  the  same  means  which  de- 
termines who  is  to  be  the  next  President  of  the  United 
States.  Therefore,  with  the  consent  and  approval  of 
the  Secretary  of  War,  now  absent,  I  want  to  return  the 
troops,  temporarily  detached,  back  as  soon  as  possible  to 
the  posts  occupied  before  the  election,  with  this  excep- 
tion, that  twelve  companies  (now  thirteen),  or  the  equiva- 
lent of  a  regiment,  remain  here  in  Washington  for  a 
time. 

"  The  Artillery  School  should  be  resumed,  and  this 
will  take  back  to  Fort  Monroe  companies  '  G '  of  the 
First,  'A'  of  the  Third,  'I'  of  the  Fourth,  and  <C'  of 
the  Fifth  Artillery. 

"  These  should  be  replaced  by  three  companies  now 
temporarily  serving  in  the.  Department  of  the  South,  say, 
Companies  '  D '  and  '  L '  Second  Artillery,  now  at  Co- 
lumbia, S.  C.,  and  Company  '  L,'  First  Artillery.  Com- 
pany '  M,'  Third  Artillery,  now  at  Fort  McHenry, 
should  return  to  its  post  at  Fort  Wadsworth,  .and  the 
remaining  companies  First  Artillery  in  South  Carolina, 
viz. :  <  B,'  <  D,'  <  H,'  <  I,'  and  <  M,'  would  return  to  their 
posts. 

"  Indiana  is  in  your  command,  and  Company  *  G,' 
Third  Artillery,  can  remain  at  the  arsenal  at  Indianapolis 
for  a  time. 

"  The  movement  should  not  begin  till  I  give  you 
notice  and  orders,  as  the  Potomac  is  still  frozen,  and  the 
school  companies  can  not  economically  move  till  a  steam- 
boat can  take  them  from  the  Arsenal  here  to  Fort  Monroe. 

"  Please  have  General  Fry  to  make  the  draft  of  an 
order  to  complete  these  movements — send  it  to  me,  I  will 


SHERMAN'S  LETTER  TO  HANCOCK.  367 

approve,  and  then  indicate  the  time  to  begin — say  in 

about  ten  days. 

"  Yours  truly, 
(Signed)  "W.  T.  SHERMAN, 

"  General. 
"  A  true  copy. 
"  JNO.  M.  BACON,  Colonel  and,  A.  D.  &" 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

1877  —  Situation  of  the  Country  —  Great  Financial  Depression — Railroad 
Strikes — The  Army  employed  to  suppress  Rioting — General  Hancock 
directs  its  Movements — 1880 — The  Nominations  for  President — Cincin- 
nati Convention — General  Hancock  unanimously  nominated  the  Can- 
didate of  the  Democratic  Party — The  Platform — Speech  of  Hon.  Daniel 
Dougherty— General  Hancock's  Letter  of  Acceptance. 

THE  year  1877  opened  with  the  conclusion  of  the 
Electoral  trouble  by  the  seating  of  President  Hayes,  and 
the  American  people  began  to  "  breathe  freely  " ;  a  pro- 
cess in  which  they  certainly  had  not  indulged  since  the 
preceding  November. 

The  financial  and  economical  condition  of  the  country 
during  the  period  which  had  elapsed  since  the  "panic" 
of  1873,  had  been  very  unsatisfactory.  There  had  been 
a  sharp  contraction  of  values  and  prices ;  our  bonds,  re- 
turned from  abroad,  had  drained  the  country  in  enormous 
sums ;  capital  had  long  been  alarmed  to  the  extent  of  re- 
fusing investment  in  new  enterprises,  or  even  sustaining 
those  which  were  established;  the  list  of  failures  had 
reached  nine  thousand  in  a  single  year  (1876),  being  three 
times  the  number  of  1871,  and  an  increase  in  regular  pro- 
gression ;  two  thirds  of  the  furnaces  in  the  country  were 
out  of  blast,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  great  manufac- 
tories were  closed ;  strikes  were  frequent,  and  it  was  al- 
leged by  the  "  New  York  Herald  "  that  four  millions  of 
men  were  out  of  employment. 


THE  RAILROAD  RIOTS  OF  1877.  369 

But,  with  the  election  and  peaceful  inauguration  of 
President  Hayes — by  virtue  of  the  Electoral  Commission 
— it  was  claimed  by  the  Republican  press,  and  believed 
by  large  numbers  of  the  business  men  of  the  country, 
that  a  revival  of  trade  was  to  take  place,  capital  would  be 
invested,  labor  be  in  demand,  and  values  speedily  regain 
their  former  standard. 

During  six  months  these  rose-colored  predictions  found 
faithful  believers.  Then,  as  suddenly  as  though  it  were  a 
convulsion  of  nature,  came  the  shock  and  the  collapse. 

On  July  14,  1877",  the  strike  occurred  of  the  train- 
hands  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and,  with  a 
rush  like  wildfire,  the  dangerous  epidemic  sped  along  the 
iron  rails,  until,  in  less  than  a  week,  perhaps,  one  hun- 
dred thousand  railroad  men  and  forty  thousand  miners 
were  "  on  strike,"  and  as  many  as  six  thousand  miles  of 
railway,  covering  most  of  the  trunk  lines,  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  strikers,  who  were  now  backed  and  sustained 
by  vast  masses  of  rioters,  who  crawled  out  of  the  slums 
of  the  great  cities,  and  left  their  "tramp"  along  the 
country  roads,  to  engage  in  general  spoliation,  incendiarism, 
and  outrage.  The  wheels  of  progress  were  clogged,  the 
great  mechanism  for  the  transportation  of  forty-five  mil- 
lions of  active,  industrious  people  was  idle,  the  existence 
of  social  order  and  the  supremacy  of  the  law  were  threat- 
ened. 

Here  was  a  commentary  upon  the  progress  of  the 
country  under  the  management  and  control  of  that  party 
which  had  for  nearly  seventeen  years  held  the  reins  of 
power. 

At  such  a  juncture  it  became  necessary  to  call  upon 
whatever  drilled  and  disciplined  forces  existed ;  and, 
while  the  militia  of  the  different  States,  where  riotous 


370  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

proceedings  interrupted  the  peaceful  progress  of  events, 
were  at  once  armed  and  summoned  to  the  field,  the 
United  States  Army,  now  scattered  to  all  parts  of  the 
Union,  was  hastily  brought  together  in  such  proportion  as 
was  practicable,  and  called  to  defend  peaceful  citizens,  to 
protect  public  and  private  property,  and  to  sustain  Law 
and  Order. 

A  large  number  of  the  regulars  were  at  this  time  en- 
gaged, with  General  Howard  and  Colonel  Miles,  fight- 
ing the  Nez  Perces  Indians,  and  in  other  disturbed 
parts  of  the  Indian  country.  As  the  principal  weight  of 
the  riotous  demonstrations  was  felt  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, the  duty  of  employing  the  United  States  forces  for 
their  suppression  fell  to  General  Hancock,  being  within 
his  command  of  the  Division  of  the  Atlantic.  Making 
his  headquarters  at  Philadelphia,  General  Hancock  drew 
from  all  possible  quarters  with  the  greatest  celerity,  and 
dispatched  to  threatened  points,  or  employed  for  the  pro- 
tection of  railroad  and  other  property  actually  attacked, 
all  the  soldiers,  sailors,  and  marines  possible  to  be  obtained 
and  transported  in  time  to  be  of  service.  Along  the  Bal- 
timore and  Ohio  line,  in  Maryland  and  West  Virginia, 
single  trains  were  run  under  the  protection  of  the  Fed- 
eral forces.  In  the  city  of  Baltimore  the  soldiers  were 
stoned  by  the  rioters ;  but  it  is  a  fact  that  no  serious  re- 
sistance was  offered  to  the  regular  army,  the  insubordi- 
nate classes  seeming  to  stand  in  awe  of  the  Federal 
forces,  though  so  few  in  number,  while  to  the  State 
militia  they  displayed  positive  hatred,  and  in  many  in- 
stances successfully  resisted.  "While  the  militia  lost  heav- 
ily in  killed  and  badly  injured  during  the  continuance  of 
the  riots,  the  regular  army  accomplished  a  most  excellent 
purpose— often  by  their  mere  presence — and  without  los- 


PRESIDENTIAL  NOMINATIONS,   1880.  371 

ing  a  man  in  General  Hancock's  entire  command,  or  the 
destruction  of  any  life. 

The  railroad  riots  continued  until  the  end  of  July; 
the  losses,  chiefly  in  Pittsburgh  Pa.,  but  also  in  Chicago, 
Cincinnati,  Buffalo,  Albany,  and  at  other  points,  have 
never  been  fully  estimated.  In  Pittsburgh  alone,  be- 
sides much  other  property,  the  loss  by  the  railroads  was 
enormous.  Two  thousand  freight  cars  with  their  con- 
tents were  destroyed,  and  the  direct  loss  of  railroad 
property  was  estimated  to  be  between  $8,000,000  and 
$10,000,000. 

No  active  military  operations  occurred  in  General 
Hancock's  command,  after  1877,  of  sufficient  importance 
to  need  chronicling  here. 

And,  reaching  the  year  1880,  we  enter  upon  the  last 
phase  in  General  Hancock's  life  to  be  recorded  here,  and 
which  resulted  in  his  nomination  by  the  Democratic  con- 
vention as  the  candidate  of  that  party  for  the  office  of 
President  of  the  United  States. 

The  National  Republican  convention  had  met  at  Chi- 
cago, June  2d,  and,  after  an  exciting  and  protracted  ses- 
sion, had  nominated  James  A.  Garfield,  of  Ohio,  for 
President  and  Chester  A.  Arthur,  of  New  York,  for 
Yice-President. 

The  National  Democratic  convention  met  at  Cincin- 
nati on  June  22d,  and  organized  with  Judge  Hoadley,  of 
Cincinnati,  as  temporary  chairman.  Among  the  promi- 
nent candidates  for  the  Presidential  nomination  was 
Samuel  J.  Tilden,  with  Hancock,  Bayard,  Payne,  Thur- 
man,  Hendricks,  Jewett,  Field,  Morrison,  and  a  number 
of  other  prominent  Democrats,  the  list  of  gentlemen 
favorably  mentioned  being  large. 
•  A  permanent  organization  of  the  convention  was  ef- 


372 


LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 


fected  on  the  23d,  with  Hon.  John  W.  Stevenson,  of 
Kentucky,  as  permanent  chairman,  and  the  following 
named  gentlemen  as  vice-presidents  and  secretaries : 


STATES. 

Vice-Presidents. 

Secretaries. 

Alabama.                       .  • 

C  C  Lan^don  

J.  S.  Ferguson. 

Arkansas  
California        

C.  A.  Gault  
W.  C.  Hendricks  

J.  P.  Coffin. 
J.  B.  Metcalf. 

Colorado 

Alva  Adams     .    . 

John  Stone. 

Connecticut 

Curtis  Bacon  

Samuel  Simpson. 

Delaware  ...        

James  Williams  

A.  P.  Robinson. 

Florida 

William  Judcre     .    ... 

J  B  Marshall. 

Georgia    

J  R   Alexander  

Mark  A.  Hardin. 

Illinois  

II.  M.  Vanderen  

W.  A  Day. 

J.  R.  Slack  '. 

Rufus  Magee. 

S.  B.  Evans  

J  J  Snouffcr. 

Kansas  

W.  V.  Bennett  

J.  B.  Chapman. 

Kentucky                       . 

Henry  Burnett          .    . 

T  G  Stuart 

J.  D.  Jeffries  

M.  McNamara 

Maine                            .  .  • 

Darius  Alden 

J  R   Redman 

Maryland     .    .        . 

Philip  F  Thomas 

M  A  Thomas 

Massachusetts         ...    . 

Jonas  H.  French    .... 

J.  M  Thayer 

Michigan  

A.  J  Shakespeare 

Minnesota 

L  L  Baxter 

L  A  Evans 

Mississippi      .  .           ... 

W.  S.  Featherson 

R  C  Patty 

Missouri  

B.  F.  Dillon  

N  C  Dry  den 

Nebraska 

R  S  Maloney 

James  North 

Nevada    

Not  named    .  .        ... 

Not  naTQcd 

New  Hampshire  

Frank  Jones  

Charles  A  Busiel. 

New  Jersey  
New  York  

H.  B.  Smith  
Not  named  

J.  S.  Coleman. 
Not  named 

North  Carolina       . 

W  T  Dortch 

R  M  Furman 

Ohio  

J.  L.  McSweenev. 

C  T  Lewis 

Oregon  

J.  W.  Winson  

A.  Noltner. 

D  E  Efmentraut 

Not  named 

Rhode  Island  

Thomas  W.  Segar  

John  "Waters 

South  Carolina  

M.  C.  Butler  

J.  R.  Abney 

Tennessee   ... 

J  W.  Childress. 

C  L  Ridlev 

Texas  

Joel  W.  Robinson  .... 

B  P  Paddock 

Vermont             .           .  . 

N  P.  Bowman 

H  W  McGettrick 

J.W.Daniel  

R  W  Hunter 

W^est  Virginia              .    . 

C  P  Snyder 

H  C  Si  rams 

Wisconsin  .        

J.  C.  Gregory  

J  M  Smith 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Tilden  was  read  to  the  convention, 
in  which  he  pointedly  declined  to  permit  the  use  of  his 


NOMINATION  OF  GENERAL  HANCOCK.  373 

name  as  a  candidate  for  the  nomination.  Balloting  began 
on  this  day  ("Wednesday,  June  23d),  when,  on  the  first 
ballot,  General  Hancock  led  with  171  votes,  Bayard  being 
next  with  153 J,  and  Payne,  Thurman,  Field,  Morrison, 
and  Hendricks  following  in  this  order. 

On  the  second  ballot,  which  was  taken  on  Thursday 
(24th),  General  Hancock  received  705  votes,  when  his 
nomination  was  declared  unanimous.  The  convention  then 
proceeded  to  ballot  for  Yice-President,  when  Hon.  William 
H.  English,  of  Indiana,  was  unanimously  nominated. 

The  platform  of  the  Democratic  party  as  announced  at 
this  convention  is  as  follows : 

PLATFORM. 

The  Democrats  of  the  United  States,  in  convention 
assembled,  declare : 

1.  We  pledge  ourselves  anew  to  the  constitutional  doc- 
trines and  traditions  of  the  Democratic  party  as  illustrated 
by  the  teachings  and  example  of  a  long  line  of  Democratic 
statesmen  and  patriots,  and  embodied  in  the  platform  of 
the  last  National  convention  of  the  party. 

2.  Opposition  to  centralization  and  to  that  dangerous 
spirit  of  encroachment  which  tends  to  consolidate  the 
powers  of  all  the  departments  in  one,  and  thus  to  create, 
whatever  be  the  form  of  government,  a  real  despotism ; 
no  sumptuary  laws ;  separation  of  Church  and  State  for 
the  good  of  each  ;  common  schools  fostered  and  protected. 

3.  Home  rule ;  honest  money,  consisting  of  gold  and 
silver,  and  paper  convertible  into  coin  on  demand ;  the 
strict  maintenance  of  the  public  faith,  State  and  Na- 
tional, and  a  tariff  for  revenue  only. 

4.  The  subordination  of  the  military  to  the  civil  power, 
and  a  genuine  and  thorough  reform  of  the  Civil  Service. 


374  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

5.  The  right  to  a  free  ballot  is  a  right  preservative  of 
all  rights,  and  must  and  shall  be  maintained  in  every  part 
of  the  United  States. 

6.  The  existing  administration  is  the  representative 
of  conspiracy  only ;  and  its  claim  of  right  to  surround  the 
ballot  boxes  with  troops  and  deputy  marshals,  to  intimi- 
date and  obstruct  the  election,  and  the  unprecedented  use 
of  the  veto  to  maintain  its  corrupt  and  despotic  powers, 
insult  the  people  and  imperil  their  institutions. 

7.  We  execrate  the  course  of  this  administration  in 
making  places  in  the  Civil  Service  a  reward  for  political 
crime,  and  demand  a  reform  by  statute  which  shall  make 
it  forever  impossible  for  a  defeated  candidate  to  bribe  his 
way  to  the  seat  of  a  usurper  by  billeting  villains  upon  the 
people. 

8.  The  great  fraud  of  1876-'77,  by  which,  upon  a 
false  count  of  the  electoral  votes  of  two  States,  the  can- 
didate defeated  at  the  polls  was  declared  to  be  President, 
and,  for  the  first  time  in  American  history,  the  will  of  the 
people  was  set  aside  under  a  threat  of  military  violence, 
struck  a  deadly  blow  at  our  system  of  representative  gov- 
ernment.    The  Democratic  party,  to  preserve  the  country 
from  the  horrors  of  a  civil  war,  submitted  for  the  time,  in 
firm  and  patriotic  faith  that  the  people  would  punish  this 
crime  in  1880.     This  issue  precedes  and  dwarfs  every 
other.     It  imposes  a  more  sacred  duty  upon  the  people  of 
the  Union  than  ever  addressed  the  consciences  of  a  nation 
of  freemen. 

9.  The  resolution  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden  not  again  to 
be  a  candidate  for  the  exalted  place  to  which  he  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  his  countrymen,  and  from  which 
he  was  excluded  by  the  leaders  of  the  Republican  party, 
is  received  by  the  Democrats  of  the  United  States  with 


THE  DEMOCRATIC  PLATFORM.  375 

deep  sensibility,  and  they  declare  their  confidence  in  his 
wisdom,  patriotism,  and  integrity  unshaken  by  the  as- 
saults of  the  common  enemy ;  and  they  further  assure 
him  that  he  is  followed  into  the  retirement  he  has  chosen 
for  himself  by  the  sympathy  and  respect  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  who  regard  him  as  one  who,  by  elevating  the 
standard  of  public  morality  and  adorning  and  purifying 
the  public  service,  merits  the  lasting  gratitude  of  his 
country  and  his  party. 

10.  Free  ships  and  a  living  chance  for  American  com- 
merce on  the  seas,  and  on  the  land  no  discrimination  in 
favor  of  transportation  lines,  corporations,  or  monopolies. 

11.  Amendment  of  the  Burlingame  treaty ;  no  more 
Chinese  immigration,  except  for  travel,  education,  and 
foreign  commerce,  and  that  even  carefully  guarded. 

12.  Public  money  and  public  credit  for  public  pur- 
poses solely,  and  public  land  for  actual  settlers. 

13.  The  Democratic  party  is  the  friend  of  labor  and 
the  laboring  man,  and  pledges  itself  to  protect  him  alike 
against  the  cormorants  and  the  Commune. 

14.  We  congratulate  the  country  upon  the  honesty  and 
thrift  of  a  Democratic  Congress  which  has  reduced  the 
public  expenditures  $40,000,000  a  year ;  upon  the  con- 
tinuation of  prosperity  at  home  and  the  national  honor 
abroad ;  and,  above  all,  upon  the  promise  of  such  a  change 
in  the  administration  of  the  Government  as  shall  insure 
us  genuine  and  lasting  reform  in  every  department  of  the 
public  service. 

The  honor  of  naming  General  Hancock  before  the 
convention  fell  to  that  distinguished  orator,  gentleman, 
and  scholar  Hon.  Daniel  Dougherty,  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  addressed  the  convention  in  the  following  language  : 


376  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

"  MR.  CHAIRMAN  :  I  propose  to  present  to  the  thought- 
ful consideration  of  the  convention  the  name  of  one  who, 
on  the  field  of  battle,  was  styled  '  The  Superb,5  yet  won 
a  still  nobler  renown  as  a  military  governor,  whose  first 
act,  when  in  command  of  Louisiana  and  Texas  was  to  sa- 
lute the  Constitution  by  proclaiming  that  6  the  military 
rule  shall  ever  be  subservient  to  the  civil  power.'  The 
plighted  word  of  a  soldier  was  proved  by  the  acts  of  a 
statesman . 

"  I  nominate  one  whose  name  will  suppress  all  faction ; 
which  will  be  alike  acceptable  to  the  North  and  to  the 
South.  A  name  that  will  thrill  the  Republic.  A  name, 
if  nominated,  of  a  man  who  will  crush  the  last  embers 
of  sectional  strife,  and  whose  name  will  be  the  dawning 
of  that  day  so  long  looked  for,  the  day  of  perpetual 
brotherhood  among  the  people  of  America. 

"  With  him  as  our  champion,  we  can  fling  away  our 
shields  and  wage  an  aggressive  war.  With  him,  we  can 
appeal  to  the  supreme  majesty  of  the  American  people 
against  the  corruptions  of  the  Republican  party  and  their 
untold  violations  of  constitutional  liberty.  With  him  as 
our  standard-bearer,  the  bloody  banner  of  Republicanism 
will  fall  palsied  to  the  ground.  O  my  Countrymen !  In 
this  supreme  hour,  when  the  destinies  of  the  Republic, 
when  the  imperiled  liberties  of  the  people  are  in  your 
hands,  pause,  reflect,  take  heed,  make  no  mistake !  I  say 
I  nominate  one  whose  nomination  would  carry  every 
State  of  the  South.  I  nominate  one  who  will  carry  Penn- 
sylvania, carry  Indiana,  carry  Connecticut,  carry  New 
Jersey,  carry  New  York.  I  propose  the  name — [a  voice 
— <  Carry  Ohio ! '] — Aye,  carry  Ohio ! — I  propose  the  name 
of  the  soldier  statesman,  whose  record  is  as  stainless  as 
his  sword — Winfield  Scott  Hancock. 


GENERAL   HANCOCK  NOTIFIED  OF  HIS  NOMINATION.    377 
"  One  word  more :  if  elected,  he  will  take  his  seat !  " 

On  July  13,  1880,  General  Hancock  was  formally  no- 
tified, at  Governor's  Island,  of  his  nomination  by  the 
Democratic  party,  the  following  being  the  announcement 
and  response : 

"NEW  YORK,  July  13,  1880. 

"SiR:  The  National  Convention  of  the  Democratic 
party,  which  assembled  at  Cincinnati  on  the  22d  of  last 
month,  unanimously  nominated  you  as  their  candidate  for 
the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States.  We  have 
been  directed  to  inform  you  of  your  nomination  for  this 
exalted  trust,  and  to  ask  its  acceptance. 

"  In  accordance  with  the  uniform  custom  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  the  Convention  have  announced  their  views 
upon  the  important  issues  which  are  before  the  country, 
in  a  series  of  resolutions  to  which  we  invite  your  atten- 
tion. These  resolutions  embody  the  general  principles 
upon  which  the  Democratic  party  demand  the  government 
shall  be  conducted,  and  they  also  emphatically  condemn 
the  maladministration  of  the  Government  by  the  party 
in  power,  its  crimes  against  the  Constitution,  and  espe- 
cially against  the  right  of  the  people  to  choose  and  install 
their  President,  which  have  wrought  so  much  injury  and 
dishonor  to  our  country. 

"  That  which  chiefly  inspired  your  nomination  was  the 
fact  that  you  had  conspicuously  recognized  and  exempli- 
fied the  yearning  of  the  American  people  for  reconciliation 
and  brotherhood  under  the  shield  of  the  Constitution, 
with  all  its  jealous  care  and  guarantees  for  the  rights  of 
persons  and  of  States. 

"  Your  nomination  was  not  made  alone  because  in  the 
midst  of  arms  you  illustrated  the  highest  qualities  of  the 


378  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

soldier,  but  because,  when  the  war  had  ended,  and  when 
in  recognition  of  your  courage  and  fidelity  you  were 
placed  in  command  of  a  part  of  the  Union  undergoing 
the  process  of  restoration,  and  while  you  were  thus  clothed 
with  absolute  power,  you  used  it  not  to  subvert  but  to 
sustain  the  civil  laws,  and  the  rights  they  were  established 
to  protect. 

"  Your  fidelity  to  these  principles,  manifested  in  the 
important  trusts  heretofore  confided  to  your  care,  gives 
proof  that  they  will  control  your  administration  of  the 
National  Government,  and  assures  the  country  that  our 
indissoluble  Union  of  indestructible  States,  and  the  Con- 
stitution, with  its  wise  distributions  of  power  and  regard 
for  the  boundaries  of  State  and  Federal  authority,  will  not 
suffer  in  your  hands ;  that  you  will  maintain  the  subordi- 
nation of  the  military  to  the  civil  power,  and  will  accom- 
plish the  purification  of  the  public  service,  and  especially 
that  the  Government  which  we  love  will  be  free  from  the 
reproach  or  stain  of  sectional  agitation  or  malice  in  any 
shape  or  form. 

"  Kejoicing  in  common  with  the  masses  of  the  Ameri- 
can people  at  this  bright  promise  for  the  future  of  our 
country,  we  wish  also  to  express  to  you  personally  the  as- 
surance of  the  general  esteem  and  confidence  which  have 
summoned  you  to  this  high  duty,  and  will  aid  you  in  its 
performance. 

"  Your  Fellow  Citizens, 

"  JOHN  "W".  STEVENSON, 
"  President  of  the  Convention, 
"NICHOLAS  M.  BELL, 

"  Secretary, 

"  And  other  Members  of  the  Committee" 
"  To  GENERAL  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK." 


GENERAL  HANCOCK'S  LETTER  OF  ACCEPTANCE.       379 
To  which  General  Hancock  replied  as  follows : 

"  ME.  CHAIRMAN  AND  GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  : 
I  appreciate  the  honor  conferred  upon  me  by  the  "  National 
Democratic  Convention "  lately  assembled  in  Cincinnati. 
I  thank  you  for  your  courtesy  in  making  that  honor 
known  to  me. 

"  As  soon  as  the  importance  of  the  matter  permits,  I 
will  prepare  and  send  to  you  a  formal  acceptance  of 
my  nomination  to  the  office  of  President  of  the  United 
States. 

"  WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK. 

On  July  29th  he  accepted  the  nomination  by  letter, 
as  follows : 

"  GOVERNOR'S  ISLAND,  NEW  YORK  CITY,  July  29,  1880. 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  your  letter  of  July  13,  1880,  apprising  me 
formally  of  my  nomination  to  the  office  of  President  of 
the  United  States  by  the  "  National  Democratic  Conven- 
tion "  lately  assembled  in  Cincinnati.  I  accept  the  nomi- 
nation with  grateful  appreciation  of  the  confidence  reposed 
in  me. 

"The  principles  enunciated  by  the  Convention  are 
those  I  have  cherished  in  the  past  and  shall  endeavor  to 
maintain  in  the  future. 

"  The  thirteenth,  fourteenth,  and  fifteenth  amend- 
ments to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  embodying 
the  results  of  the  war  for  the  Union,  are  inviolable.  If 
called  to  the  Presidency,  I  should  deem  it  my  duty  to 
resist  with  all  of  my  power  any  attempt  to  impair  or  evade 
the  full  force  and  effect  of  the  Constitution,  which,  in 
every  article,  section,  and  amendment  is  the  supreme  law 
of  the  land.  The  Constitution  forms  the  basis  of  the 


380  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

Government  of  the  United  States.  The  powers  granted 
by  it  to  the  legislative,  executive,  and  judicial  departments 
define  and  limit  the  authority  of  the  General  Govern- 
ment ;  powers  not  delegated  to  the  United  States  by  the 
Constitution,  nor  prohibited  by  it  to  the  States,  belong 
to  the  States  respectively,  or  to  the  people.  The  gen- 
eral and  State  governments,  each  acting  in  its  own 
sphere,  without  trenching  upon  the  lawful  jurisdiction  of 
the  other,  constitute  the  Union.  This  Union,  compris- 
ing a  General  government  with  general  powers,  and  State 
governments  with  state  powers,  for  purposes  local  to  the 
States,  is  a  polity  the  foundations  of  which  were  laid  in 
the  profoundest  wisdom. 

"  This  is  the  Union  our  fathers  made,  and  which  has 
been  so  respected  abroad  and  so  beneficent  at  home. 
Tried  by  blood  and  fire,  it  stands  to-day  a  model  form 
of  free  popular  government ;  a  political  system  which, 
rightly  administered,  has  been  and  will  continue  to  be  the 
admiration  of  the  world.  May  we  not  say,  nearly  in  the 
words  of  Washington  :  '  The  unity  of  government  which 
constitutes  us  one  people  is  justly  dear  to  us ;  it  is  the 
main  pillar  in  the  edifice  of  our  real  independence,  the 
support  of  our  peace,  safety,  and  prosperity,  and  of  that 
liberty  we  so  highly  prize  and  intend  at  every  hazard  to 
preserve.5 

"  But  no  form  of  government,  however  carefully  de- 
vised, no  principles,  however  sound,  will  protect  the  rights 
of  the  people  unless  its  administration  is  faithful  and  effi- 
cent.  It  is  a  vital  principle  in  our  system  that  neither 
fraud  nor  force  must  be  allowed  to  subvert  the  rights  of 
the  people.  When  fraud,  violence,  or  incompetence  con- 
trols, the  noblest  constitutions  and  wisest  laws  are  useless. 
The  bayonet  is  not  a  fit  instrument  for  collecting  the  votes 


GENERAL  HANCOCK'S   LETTER  OF  ACCEPTANCE.       381 

of  freemen.  It  is  only  by  a  full  vote,  free  ballot,  and  fair 
count,  that  the  people  can  rule  in  fact,  as  required  by  the 
theory  of  our  government.  Take  this  foundation  away, 
and  the  whole  structure  falls. 

"  Public  office  is  a  trust,  not  a  bounty  bestowed  upon 
the  holder ;  no  incompetent  or  dishonest  persons  should 
ever  be  entrusted  with  it,  or,  if  appointed,  they  should 
be  promptly  ejected.  The  basis  of  a  substantial,  practical 
civil-service  reform  must  first  be  established  by  the 
people  in  filling  the  elective  offices ;  if  they  fix  a  high 
standard  of  qualifications  for  office,  and  sternly  reject  the 
corrupt  and  incompetent,  the  result  will  be  decisive  in 
governing  the  action  of  the  servants  whom  they  entrust 
with  appointing  power. 

"  The  war  for  the  Union  was  successfully  closed  more 
than  fifteen  years  ago.  All  classes  of  our  people  must 
share  alike  in  the  blessings  of  the  Union,  and  are  equally 
concerned  in  its  perpetuity  and  in  the  proper  administra- 
tion of  public  affairs.  We  are  in  a  state  of  profound 
peace.  Henceforth  let  it  be  our  purpose  to  cultivate 
sentiments  of  friendship  and  not  of  animosity  among  our 
fellow  citizens. 

"  Our  material  interests,  varied  and  progressive,  demand 
our  constant  and  united  efforts.  A  sedulous  and  scrupu- 
lous care  of  the  public  credit,  together  with  a  wise  and 
economical  management  of  our  governmental  expenditures 
should  be  maintained,  in  order  that  labor  may  be  lightly 
burdened,  and  that  all  persons  may  be  protected  in  their 
rights  to  the  fruits  of  their  own  industry.  The  time  has 
come  to  enjoy  the  substantial  benefits  of  reconciliation. 
As  one  people  we  have  common  interests.  Let  us  encour- 
age the  harmony  and  generous  rivalry  among  our  own 
industries  which  will  revive  our  languishing  merchant 


382  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

marine,  extend  our  commerce  with  foreign  nations,  assist 
our  merchants,  manufacturers,  and  producers  to  develop 
our  vast  natural  resources,  and  increase  the  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  our  people. 

"  If  elected,  I  shall,  with  the  Divine  favor,  labor  with 
what  ability  I  possess  to  discharge  my  duties  writh  fidelity 
according  to  my  convictions,  and  shall  take  care  to  pro- 
tect and  defend  the  Union,  and  to  see  that  the  laws  be 
faithfully  and  equally  executed  in  all  parts  of  the  country 
alike.  I  will  assume  the  responsibility,  fully  sensible  of 
the  fact  that  to  administer  rightly  the  functions  of  govern- 
ment is  to  discharge  the  most  sacred  duty  that  can  devolve 
upon  an  American  citizen. 

"  I  am,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

"  WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK." 
"7b  the  EON.  JOHN  W.  STEVENSON,  President  of  the  Convention; 

HON.  JOHN  P.  STOCKTON,  Chairman,  and  others  of  the  Committee 

of  the  National  Democratic  Convention." 


to 


IP 


IMra 


mm 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Conclusion — Anecdote  of  Mr.  Lincoln — An  Incident  of  Chancellorvilie — 
Hancock  as  a  Writer:  Testimony  of  General  James  B.  Steadman — 
Generals  Sherman  and  Sheridan  on  General  Hancock. — Hon.  Amasa 
Cobb's  Opinion  of  Him — Magnificent  Tribute  by  a  Kansas  Lecturer 
— "  Hancock  "  :  A  Poem,  by  Colonel  A.  J.  H.  Duganne — Dr.  Junkin  on 
General  Hancock's  Private  Character— Finis. 

IN  concluding  the  present  account  of  the  life  of  Gen- 
eral Hancock,  we  find  ourselves  confronted  with  a  mass 
of  unused  material,  very  much  of  which  might  properly 
find  place  here  in  further  illustration.  Exigencies,  insep- 
arable from  the  character  of  the  work,  have  prevented  the 
insertion  of  writings  in  the  nature  of  additional  criti- 
cism and  analysis  of  his  character  and  his  acts,  on  the 
part  of  men  calculated  by  circumstances  of  acquaintance, 
or  other  position,  to  be  well  informed,  and,  by  their  un- 
questioned capacity,  to  be  wise  and  just  in  judgment.  It 
is  with  regret  that  we  have  been  compelled  to  exclude  so 
much  of  such  material,  and  we  can  not  faithfully  complete 
our  task  without  employing  some  of  it.  That  which 
follows  is  accordingly  inserted,  each  part  by  reason  of  its 
own  merit  or  value,  and  without  regard  to  the  general 
coherence  of  the  book. 

A  correspondent  of  the  "Lancaster  Intelligencer" 
gives  the  following  anecdote,  as  told  him  by  Mr.  James 
McDougal,  a  prominent  Republican  of  Baltimore : 


384:  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

"  When  Mr.  Lincoln  issued  his  Emancipation  Procla- 
mation— I  believe  that  was  the  occasion — a  deputation  of 
citizens  from  Baltimore  went  on  to  Washington  to  con- 
gratulate him.  Mr.  McDougal  was  one  of  the  number. 

"  i  Take  seats,  boys,  take  seats ! '  exclaimed  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, as  he  rang  the  bell  for  chairs  to  be  brought  in. 

"  The  visitors  sat  down,  and  spent  nearly  an  hour  in 
conversation.  Presently  the  subject  of  generals  came  up, 
and  various  opinions  were  expressed  as  to  who  was  the 
ablest  officer  on  our  side.  When  a  great  many  opinions 
had  been  given,  Mr.  Lincoln  said : 

"  '  Gentlemen,  in  my  judgment,  you  have  not  struck 
the  right  man  yet.' 

"  And  of  course  all  were  anxious  to  hear  him  name 
the  man,  and  asked  him  to  do  so.  He  said  : 

"  '  It  is  General  Hancock.' 

"  The  countenances  of  his  visitors  expressed  their 
surprise,  and  one  of  them  ventured  to  say  that  he  feared 
Hancock  was  too  rash. 

"  '  Yes,'  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  '  so  some  of  the  older  gen- 
erals have  said  to  me,  and  I  have  said  to  them  that  I  have 
watched  General  Hancock's  conduct  very  carefully,  and 
I  have  found  that  when  he  goes  into  action  he  achieves  his 
purpose,  and  comes  out  with  a  smaller  list  of  casualties 
than  any  of  them.  Bold  he  is,  but  not  rash.  Why,  gentle- 
men, do  you  know  what  his  record  was  at  West  Point  ? ' 

"  And  Mr.  Lincoln  went  to  his  book-shelf,  and,  taking 
down  an  '  Army  Register,'  showed  the  position  in  which 
Hancock  had  graduated,  and  that,  furthermore,  in  a  class 
that  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  that  had  ever 
graduated  at  the  Military  Academy.  Continuing  to  speak 
of  him  in  the  highest  terms,  he  further  said  : 

"  1 1  tell  you,  gentlemen,  that,  if  his  life  and  strength 


AN  INCIDENT  OF  CHANCELLORVILLE.  385 

are  spared,  I  believe  that  General  Hancock  is  destined  to 
be  one  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  age.  Why, 
when  I  go  down  in  the  morning  to  open  my  mail — and 
I  arise  at  four  o'clock — I  declare  that  I  do  it  in  fear  and 
trembling,  lest  I  may  hear  that  Hancock  has  been  killed 
or  wounded.' ' 

It  was  a  fact  well  known  to  many  who  saw  much  of 
the  President,  that  on  occasions  of  great  battles,  like  the 
Wilderness,  Gettysburg,  etc.,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  ob- 
taining, of  course,  dispatches  that  no  one  else  received,  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  saying,  frequently,  when  he  knew 
the  Second  Corps  had  gone  into  action,  "I  am  afraid 
Hancock  is  going  to  be  killed  to-day." 

Policeman  Albert  Bradley,  of  New  Haven,  Connecti- 
cut (according  to  the  New  Haven  "  Union "),  who  was 
formerly  a  member  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment, 
Connecticut  Volunteers,  tells  a  characteristic  story  of 
Hancock.  "  It  was  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorville.  The 
rebels  attacked  a  battery  on  the  left  of  our  line,  and 
rained  such  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  upon  it  that  many 
of  the  gunners  were  killed  and  the  rest  were  driven  away. 
General  Hancock  rode  up  among  the  infantry  and  called 
for  volunteers  to  man  the  guns.  A  sufficient  number  of 
men  at  once  volunteered.  General  Hancock  rode  at  their 
head  through  the  terrible  fire.  He  was  a  picture  of 
manly  strength  and  beauty — truly  a  'superb'  man.  It 
was  impossible  that  horse  and  rider  should  escape,  and 
the  former  went  down.  The  gallant  leader  was  deeply 
affected.  He  looked  for  a  moment  to  see  if  the  animal 
was  really  fatally  hurt,  and  then  he  stooped  quickly  and 
passionately  caressed  the  faithful  charger.  Brushing  his 
hands  across  his  eyes,  he  said :  '  To  the  guns,  men ! '  and, 
on  foot,  he  remained  at  the  head  of  his  men  until  every 
17 


386  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

gun  was  once  more  righted  and  pouring  its  death-dealing 
missiles  into  the  enemy.  I  shall  never  forget  the  sight, 
and  ever  since  have  cherished  a  tender  regard  for  General 
Hancock.  That  incident  made  a  deep  impression  on  his 
men,  and,  although  I  am  a  Eepublican,  I  know  that  nearly 
all  of  the  boys  who  fought  under  him  will  vote  for  Gen- 
eral Hancock." 


So  much  has  the  idea  that  a  soldier  must  necessarily 
be  ignorant  of  the  principles  of  civil  law  and  the  admin- 
istration of  civil  government  been  employed  as  a  chal- 
lenge of  General  Hancock's  competency  in  this  direction, 
that  even  his  incapacity  to  write  his  own  letters  and  or- 
ders has  been  charged  upon  him.  Accordingly  his  inim- 
itable "  Order  No.  40 "  was  claimed  to  have  been  the 
work  of  Hon.  J.  S.  Black,  until  the  statement  was  distinct- 
ly denied  by  that  gentleman ;  and  his  celebrated  "  Pease  " 
letter  was  equally  alleged  to  have  originated  at  the  hands 
of  some  one  other  than  himself.  To  stifle  for  ever  this 
latter  fatuous  and  baseless  assertion,  we  present  here 
very  competent  evidence  with  regard  to  this  marvelous 
specimen  of  argumentative  writing :  it  is  from  General 
James  33.  Steadman,  and  is  given  in  his  own  words :  "  It 
was  in  February,  I  think,  1868,"  said  General  Stead- 
man, "  at  any  rate  before  the  delegates  in  Louisiana  were 
elected  to  the  National  Convention,  because  it  was  on 
account  of  the  sentiments  expressed  that  General  Han- 
cock wras  made  the  candidate,  for  President,  of  the  Louis- 
iana and  Texas  delegations.  I  was  daily  at  his  head- 
quarters in  New  Orleans,  and  saw  him  at  work  upon  the 
letter.  It  was  his  own  conception,  and  his  own  compo- 
sition, every  word  of  it,  and  he  talked  about  it  consider- 
ably. He  took  the  ground  himself,  without  the  sugges- 


OPINIONS  OF  GENERALS  SHERMAN  AND  SHERIDAN.  387 

tion  of  a  human  being,  as  I  believe,  that  it  was  the  duty 
of  the  military  to  aid  and  support  and  uphold  the  civil 
authority.  The  strength  of  his  utterances  impressed  me 
greatly.  I  had  never  heard  any  man  talk  more  clearly 
on  the  subject,  or  with  a  clearer  conception  of  what 
he  held  was  military  duty.  He  was  at  work  on  the 
letter  three  particular  days.  In  going  in  and  out  during 
the  time,  I  saw  the  manuscript,  and  he  read  paragraphs 
of  the  letter  to  me — perhaps,  in  all,  the  greater  portion 
of  it.  I  could  almost  go  on  the  witness  stand  and  swear, 
to  my  knowledge,  that  Winfield  Scott  Hancock  wrote 
the  letter." 

The  two  quotations  following  explain  themselves : 

General  Sherman  said  of  him  to  a  reporter  :  "  If  you 
will  sit  down  and  write  the  best  thing  that  can  be  put  in 
language  about  General  Hancock  as  an  officer  and  a  gen- 
tleman, I  will  sign  it  without  hesitation." 

General  Sheridan  said  of  him  : 

"  I  am  not  in  politics,  but  General  Hancock  is  a  good 
and  great  man.  The  Democrats  have  not  made  any  mis- 
take this  time.  They  have  nominated  an  excellent  and 
strong  ticket." 

At  a  public  meeting  held  at  Tammany  Hall,  New 
York,  March  8,  1864,  the  object  being  the  encouraging 
of  enlistments  to  fill  up  the  Second  Corps,  General  Han- 
cock spoke  as  follows : 

"  I  am  highly  honored  by  the  invitation  to  meet  so 
many  of  the  citizens  of  New  York  on  this  occasion,  in 
this  ancient  temple  of  the  Democracy.  I  am  delighted 
to  accompany  on  the  war-path  that  element  of  the  politi- 


388  LIFE   OF  WINFIELD   SCOTT   HANCOCK. 

cal  parties  of  the  country  which  has  heretofore  been  so 
successful  in  shaping  its  destinies.  With  the  assistance 
of  the  powers  beyond,  there  should  be  no  such  word  as 
failure  in  any  operation,  not  even  that  of  putting  down 
by  force  of  arms  the  existing  gigantic  Rebellion  against 
the  Constitutional  rule  of  the  Government.  "We  have 
come  here  to-night,  not  to  talk  of  peace — for,  in  the 
opinion  of  practical  men,  that  time  is  past.  We  find 
a  rebellion  on  our  hands  of  proportions  not  equaled  in 
modern  times.  We  have  not  met  here  to  discuss  the 
manner  of  putting  it  down.  That  men  sensitive  of  honor 
have  decided  can  only  be  done  by  blows.  We  have 
been  engaged  in  that  operation  for  a  considerable  time, 
and  are  determined  to  persevere  in  it  until  the  desired 
result  is  obtained.  We  know,  also,  that  our  integrity 
and  honor  are  at  stake  in  carrying  it  through  to  a  success- 
ful issue.  We  are  here  to  night  for  war,  and,  when  war 
has  performed  its  part,  we  then  will  leave  it  to  those  to 
discuss  the  terms  of  peace  whom  the  Constitution  of  the 
country  has  invested  with  that  power,  and  our  terms  of 
peace  are  the  integrity  of  and  obedience  to  the  civil  laws 
of  the  land.  Our  armies  have  been  prosperous,  as  can 
be  readily  seen  by  looking  at  the  map  of  the  country  oc- 
cupied by  the  contending  forces ;  but  the  Rebellion  is 
gaining  heart  by  the  distractions  among  our  people, 
caused  by  unpatriotic  factions,  and  by  the  sympathies  of 
the  disloyal  among  us,  and  is  determined  to  make  one 
grand  effort  to  force  us  back.  It  will  probably  be  the 
last.  To  make  it  sure  that  the  enemy  shall  not  resist  our 
triumphant  march,  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  give  to  the 
Government  a  sufficient  force  to  make  such  a  result  im- 
possible. With  our  great  preponderance  of  population, 
it  is  easy  for  us  to  do  so.  With  a  great  force  on  our 


GENERAL  HANCOCK'S  SPEECH   AT   TAMMANY   HALL.  389 

side,  this  war  will  be  short.  Let  us  all,  therefore,  take  a 
part,  and  the  honor  may  be  equally  divided.  No  man 
can  afford  to  be  unpatriotic  in  time  of  war.  That  has 
been  proven,  and  there  are  numbers  of  persons  living 
who  are  evidences  of  the  fact.  Let  every  man,  there- 
fore, who  values  his  honor  and  that  of  his  children,  enter 
the  service  of  his  country,  if  he  is  in  circumstances  to 
permit  him  to  do  so ;  and,  if  not,  let  him,  if  possible, 
keep  a  representative  in  the  field.  For  the  mass  of  men, 
inducements  to  enter  the  service  are  now  so  great  that  no 
one  need  claim  he  should  be  exempt  because  they  are  not 
greater.  Every  one  whose  circumstances  permitted  him 
to  shoulder  a  musket  in  this  war,  and  has  failed  to  do  so, 
and  those  who  have  not  done  their  duty  at  home  in  assist- 
ing to  put  men  in  the  field,  will  regret  their  want  of 
action  when  peace  again  smiles  over  the  country.  Too 
late  then  for  them  to  repair  their  error.  Even  their  chil- 
dren will  despise  them,  and  woman,  too,  who  judges  man 
by  his  deeds,  will  smile  upon  only  those  who,  in  this  war, 
have  acted  with  manliness  and  patriotism.  I  have  com- 
mand of  the  Second  Corps,  composed  of  fifty  regiments 
of  veteran  troops.  They  have  trod  the  paths  of  glory  so 
well  that  no  man  need  be  afraid  of  going  astray  who 
may  join  them.  Nineteen  of  these  regiments  are  from 
your  State,  and  thirteen  from  your  city.  Men  entering 
either  of  those  organizations  need  not  fear  but  on  the 
march,  and  in  camp,  and  in  time  of  battle  they  will  feel 
confidence  in  themselves  from  the  fact  of  being  sur- 
rounded by  veterans  so  ready  to  share  with  them  all  the 
danger,  and  who  will  equally  divide  the  honor,  claiming 
no  advantage  on  account  of  their  greater  experience.  No 
one  need  fear  that  he  will  not  make  a  good  soldier.  The 
man  on  his  right  and  on  his  left  will  give  him  confidence. 


390  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

They  have  trod  the  paths  of  glory  before.  We  have 
room  for  all  nationalities.  We  have  the  Irish  Brigade. 
We  have  the  German  legions,  and  many  others  known  to 
you  by  some  means.  We  had  a  Tammany  regiment  also. 
Any  man  can  find  in  the  New  York  City  regiments  of 
the  Second  Corps  companions  who  sympathize  with  him. 
There  are  places  for  all.  Let  them  come.  I  will  also 
say  to  the  representatives  of  the  sturdy  class  which  form 
the  backbone  of  our  army,  that  no  men  are  more  deeply 
interested  in  this  war  than  themselves.  If  the  Govern- 
ment is  preserved,  they  will  preserve  their  liberties,  and 
the  result  to  them  may  be  a  sad  experience  if  the  Gov- 
ernment should  fail  in  putting  down  the  Rebellion  for 
the  want  of  strong  arms.  Come,  then,  and  join  the  force 
in  the  field.  Come  now,  for  you  are  wanted.  The  vet- 
erans, by  reenlisting,  have  set  an  example  well  worth  fol- 
lowing. Their  acts  show  their  confidence  in  the  future." 

The  following  occurrence  took  place  on  the  occasion 
of  a  serenade,  which  was  tendered  to  General  Hancock 
at  Washington,  on  September  24,  186T,  just  before  he 
was  ordered  off  to  New  Orleans,  to  take  command  of  the 
Fifth  Military  District. 

An  immense  audience  was  assembled,  and  General 
Hancock  was  introduced  by  Hon.  Amasa  Cobb,  of  Wis- 
consin, then  a  Republican  member  of  Congress,  and  now 
a  Republican  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Nebraska. 
General  Cobb  said : 

"  To  me  has  been  intrusted  the  pleasure  and  duty  of 
appearing  before  you  in  the  capacity  of  an  old  friend  and 
comrade  of  the  distinguished  General  now  before  you,  to 
introduce  him  to  you  on  this  occasion.  Six  years  ago  I  had 
the  honor  to  be  in  command  of  a  volunteer  regiment  in 


SPEECH   OF  HON.   AMASA  COBB.  391 

the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and,  with  three  other  regiments, 
had  the  good  fortune  to  be  placed  under  the  command 
of  the  then  newly  appointed  Brigadier-General  Hancock. 
During  the  long  and  tedious  winter  of  1861  and  1862,  we 
did  duty  in  front  of  this  capital,  devoting  the  days  to  dis- 
cipline and  the  nights  to  watching  and  picket.  We  were 
volunteers.  The  General  was  a  Regular  army  officer.  All 
of  you  who  passed  through  similar  experience  will  bear 
me  witness  that  volunteers  felt  the  rigors  of  discipline 
when  placed  under  such  disciplinarians  as  that  army  was 
commanded  by;  and  its  discipline  and  after  efficiency 
were  owing  chiefly,  if  not  wholly,  to  this  fact.  The  win- 
ter passed  away,  and  the  army  finally  moved,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  war  they  were  brought  in  front  of  the 
enemy.  General  Hancock's  first  brigade  succeeded  in 
turning  the  enemy's  left  at  Williamsburg,  and  afterward 
he  prevented  the  victorious  enemy  from  driving  the  lines 
of  McClellan  from  the  Chickahominy,  and,  later  on,  it 
came  up  to  save  the  day  at  Antietam  ;  and  now  I  esteem 
it  a  great  honor  bestowed  upon  me  and  my  old  regiment 
to  have  the  opportunity  of  standing  here  by  that  great 
General's  side,  bearing  testimony  to  his  kindness  of  heart, 
his  gallantry  as  a  soldier,  and  his  trueness  as  a  man." 

The  speaker  here  turned  to  General  Hancock,  and 
said : 

"  Allow  me  to  say  that  to  your  new  field  of  duty  the 
hearts  of  our  old  brigade  go  with  you,  knowing  that, 
wherever  you  may  go,  the  country  will  have  a  brave  and 
efficient  soldier,  and  that  flag  a  gallant  defender." 

Bancroft  Librai 

General  Hancock  was  received  with  much  applause, 

and  replied  as  follows : 


392  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

"  CITIZENS  OF  WASHINGTON  :  I  thank  you  for  this 
testimony  of  your  confidence  in  my  ability  to  perform 
my  duty  in  a  new  and  different  sphere.  Educated  as  a 
soldier  in  the  military  school  of  our  country,  and  on  the 
field  of  the  Mexican  War  and  the  American  Rebellion, 
I  need  not  assure  you  that  my  course  as  a  district  com- 
mander will  be  characterized  by  the  same  strict  soldierly 
obedience  to  the  law  there  taught  me  as  a  soldier — I  know 
no  other  guide  or  higher  duty.  Misrepresentation  and 
misconstruction,  arising  from  the  passions  of  the  hour, 
and  spread  by  those  who  do  not  know  that  devotion  to 
duty  has  governed  my  actions  in  every  trying  hour,  may 
meet  me,  but  I  fear  them  not.  My  highest  desire  will 
be  to  perform  the  duties  of  my  new  sphere,  not  in  the 
interest  of  parties  or  partisans,  but  for  the  benefit  of  my 
country,  the  honor  of  my  profession,  and  I  trust,  also, 
for  the  welfare  of  the  people  committed  to  my  care.  I 
ask,  then,  citizens,  that  time  may  be  permitted  to  develop 
my  actions.  Judge  me  by  the  deeds  I  may  perform,  and, 
conscious  of  my  devotion  to  duty  and  my  country,  I  shall 
be  satisfied  with  your  verdict ;  and,  if  a  generous  country 
shall  approve  my  actions  in  the  future  as  it  has  in  the 
past,  my  highest  ambition  will  have  been  achieved.  As 
a  soldier,  I  am  to  administer  duties  rather  than  discuss 
them.  If  I  can  administer  them  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
country,  I  shall  indeed  be  happy  in  the  consciousness  of 
a  duty  performed.  I  am  about  to  leave  your  city,  the 
capital  of  our  country,  bearing  the  proud  name  of  Wash- 
ington. As  an  American  citizen,  the  rapid  development 
and  increase  of  its  wealth,  beauty,  and  prosperity,  is  a 
matter  in  which  I  am  deeply  interested.  But  far  beyond 
this,  citizens  of  Washington,  I  rejoice  with  you  that  in 
the  trying  hour  of  the  rebellion  the  capital  of  the  nation 


ELOQUENT   TRIBUTE  OF  JAMES  ELBERT  POWELL.    393 

contributed  as  fully  as  any  State  in  the  Union  to  the  brave 
volunteer  army,  which  has  demonstrated  to  the  world  the 
strength  and  invincibility  of  a  republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment. I  shall  carry  with  me  the  recollections  of  this 
occasion,  and,  when  I  return,  may  I  not  hope  that  none 
who  are  here  will  regret  their  participation  in  the  honor 
you  have  done  me  to-night  ? " 

The  following  eloquent  and  poetic  tribute  to  General 
Hancock  is  quoted  from  a  lecture  on  "  The  Solid  South," 
which  was  delivered  by  James  Elbert  Powell,  of  Kansas 
City: 

"  I  can  not  close  this  allusion  to  the  era  of  Keconstruc- 
tion  in  the  South,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  without  offering 
a  tribute  to  that  man,  who,  tried  by  the  true  test  of 
greatness,  has  proven  himself  to  be  a  peer — whose  young 
sword  flashed  like  a  meteor  over  the  bloody  fields  of 
Mexico,  and  flung  its  gleams  across  the  deepening  twi- 
light of  Spottsylvania  and  Gettysburg — whose  splendid 
energies  and  Spartan  prowess  have  ever  dedicated  it  to 
the  cause  of  individual  justice  and  national  honor — whose 
gallantry  is  emblazoned  upon  the  brightest  pages  of 
American  history — whose  glory  as  a  warrior  is  eclipsed 
by  the  grandeur  of  the  civilian — who  was  no  less  a  hero 
beneath  the  olive  branch  of  peace  than  when  leading  the 
charge  under  the  red  banner  of  war — who  never  feared 
to  draw  his  sword  at  the  call  of  his  country,  or  to  lay  it, 
sheathed,  upon  the  shrine  of  constitutional  government, 
when  the  dust  of  conflict  had  drifted  away — who  crystal- 
lized his  views  and  molded  his  measures  with  that  royal 
compassion  which  yielded  to  a  conquered  and  impover- 
ished foe  the  inviolable  inheritance  of  civil  liberty — who 
is  one  of  the  grandest  men  in  the  land,  recognized  by 

18 


394  LJFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

the  brilliancy  of  his  individual  luster,  and  not  reflecting 
the  borrowed  rays  of  other  luminaries — to  that  defender 
of  the  Union,  that  champion  of  the  Constitution,  that 
sovereign  of  soldiers,  that  pioneer  of  peace,  that  prince 
of  patriots,  General  Winfield  Scott  Hancock,  the  expo- 
nent of  great  virtue,  of  tried  courage,  of  lofty  wisdom,  of 
broad  intelligence,  of  earnest  patriotism,  of  noble  aspira- 
tion, and  of  true  manhood. 

"  He  is  a  soldier,  not  alone  of  manners  or  of  rank,  but 
of  merit  and  of  mind — he  is  a  soldier  who  distinguished 
himself  in  the  defense  of  liberty,  and  the  vanquishment 
of  despotism — he  is  a  soldier  who  lifted  himself  above 
the  ignorance  and  prejudice  of  the  day,  and  planted  the 
royal  banner  of  pardon  and  love  upon  the  battlements  of 
sectionalism  and  strife — he  is  a  soldier,  not  by  the  power 
of  fear,  but  by  the  force  of  splendid  superiority ;  he  is  a 
soldier  upon  whose  bosom  radiates  the  star  of  honor,  and 
to  whose  memory  will  be  issued  the  highest  patent  of 
nobility. 

"  When,  at  the  foot  of  Bunker  Hill,  in  the  shadow  of 
that  royal  shaft  which  stands  a  monumental  emblem  of 
heroic  valor,  whose  remembrance  is  consecrated  in  the 
hearts  of  fifty  millions  of  patriots,  beneath  the  rays  of 
the  stars  and  the  light  of  the  centuries,  the  goddess  of 
historic  unity  and  liberty,  the  guardian  of  our  national 
faith,  shall  call  the  roll  of  the  grand  army  of  heroes,  there 
will  be  no  more  gallant,  no  more  glorious,  response  than 
that  which  swells  from  the  heart  and  the  record  of  Win- 
field  S.  Hancock. 

"  He  believed  that,  when  the  Southern  chieftain  sur- 
rendered his  sword  to  the  Northern  conqueror  beneath 
the  historic  tree  at  Appomattox,  the  Southern  sun  went 
down,  and  with  its  setting  were  buried  the  passion  and 


ELOQUENT  TRIBUTE  OF  JAMES  ELBERT  POWELL.    395 

pain  of  war — that  the  blue  and  gray  would  clasp  hands 
for  ever,  and  the  Northern  sigh  meet  the  Southern  sor- 
row above  the  same  graves,  garlanded  with  the  same 
flowers,  gathered  by  the  same  hands,  consecrated  by  the 
same  regrets,  and  bedewed  with  the  same  tears. 

"He  has  recently  been  nominated  by  a  great  political 
body  for  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of  the  American 
people,  and,  though  I  come  to-night  as  the  advocate  of  no 
faction — the  champion  of  no  party — as  a  lover  of  my 
country,  I  must  say  that,  if  the  star  which  now  rises 
above  General  Hancock's  destiny  casts  its  meridian 
beams  upon  him  in  the  White  House,  they  will  fall  upon 
an  executive  from  whose  hands  the  scepter  of  justice 
will  not  drop  in  helpless  impotence,  but  one  who  will 
continue  to  battle  for  Union  and  liberty  while  truth,  cour- 
age, and  fidelity  to  principle  shall  find  a  home  in  the 
hearts  and  hopes  of  men.  He  will  not  be  a  politician 
for  the  sake  of  party,  as  he  has  not  been  a  soldier  for  the 
sake  of  glory,  but  he  will  be  a  man  for  the  sake  of  man- 
hood, and  a  patriot  for  the  sake  of  his  country.  He  is  a 
man  the  corner-stone  of  whose  character  is  integrity.  He 
is  a  man  whose  virtues  are  not  negative  or  obstructive, 
but  positive  and  aggressive.  He  is  a  man  with  a  strong 
mind,  a  pure  heart,  and  a  ready  hand.  He  is  a  man  who 
will  set  his  face  against  any  system  of  political  looseness, 
and  link  honor  and  valor  to  sympathy  with  the  people. 
He  is  a  man  whose  favor  no  spoils  of  office  can  buy,  whose 
voice  no  mocking  flattery  can  silence ;  he  is  a  man  upon 
whose  escutcheon  rests  no  stain  or  semblance  of  dishonor ; 
he  is  a  man  who  will  bind  together  the  fragments  of  our 
dismembered  Union  ;  he  is  a  man  who  will  heal  the 
wounds  of  sectional  hate,  and  kindle  the  warmth  of  fra- 
ternal affection  ;  he  is  a  man  who  will  rise  above  the  level 


396  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

of  partisan  zeal,  above  the  reach  of  personal  venality, 
above  the  influence  or  suspicion  of  corruption,  above  the 
scope  of  moral  cowardice — a  man  who  will  bring  courage, 
bring  peace  to  our  unhappy  country,  where  now 

"  *  Freedom  weeps, 
Wrong  rules  the  land, 
And  waiting  justice  sleeps/  " 

And,  after  this  thrilling  and  soul-stirring  composition, 
we  can  not  do  better  than  to  present  the  following  ori- 
ginal poem,  written  by  Colonel  A.  J.  H.  Duganne,  of  Bel- 
mont,  Fordham,  New  York  City,  for  the  columns  of  the 
New  York  "  Era,"  and  first  published  in  that  journal 
July  17,  1880. 

HANCOCK ! 

BY  COLONEL  A.  J.  H.  DTJGANNE. 

In  the  days  when  MANHOOD  rose, 
Answering  nnto  FREEDOM'S  throes ; 
And  the  womb  of  Freedom  yielded 
UNION,  with  her  Stars  enshielded ; 
In  the  days  when  MEN  were  MEN — 
Sword  with  sword,  and  pen  with  pen — 
And  in  line,  their  lives  to  mix, 
And  their  SOULS,  as  BEALS,  to  fix, 
Stood  the  Immortal  FIFTY-SIX — 
Then,  to  witness  Freedom's  claim, 
MANHOOD  wrote  that  deathless  name — 

''HANCOCK!" 

Never  an  army's  clarion  blast 

Eang  through  all  our  human  Past, 

Like  those  words  of  DECLARATION, 

Christening  FREEDOM'S  new-born  NATION  ! 

Voiceful  unto  all  the  lands — 

"Kise!  and  break  your  servile  bands!  " 


HANCOCK.  397 

While  the  BELL,  with  brazen  call, 
Swung  o'er  Independence  Hall — 
Answering — "LIBERTY  FOB  ALL!  " 
And  beneath  VIRGINIA'S  light, 
MASSACHUSETTS  rose,  to  write — 

"HANCOCK!" 

FIRST  of  all  the  immortal  roll, 
Signed  he  FREEDOM'S  lifted  scroll ; 
"When  to  SIGN  was  danger  facing — 
"When  to  LEAD,  was  doom  embracing — 
First  of  all  his  compeers  known, 
Signed  he  Freedom's  scroll — alone ! 
And  his  NAME,  for  North  and  South — 
Flame-like,  over  prairie  drouth, 
Fiery  tongued,  from  mouth  to  mouth — 
MOTTLTRIE  wrote,  with  glowing  guns, 
Answering,  unto  LEXINGTON'S — 

"HANCOCK!  » 

In  the  Days  when  MANHOOD  rose — 
Quivering  with  our  UNION'S  throes ; 
And  the  coils,  for  ages  woven 
Eound  her  laboring  heart,  were  cloven ; 
"When  from  FREEDOM'S  loins,  in  war, 
Slavery's  poisonous  robe  we  tore — 
NESSUS'  shirt — from  HERCULES — 
Smiting  off,  on  blood-red  leas, 
Bands  that  bowed  us  to  our  knees — 
In  those  Days  when  MEN  were  MEN, 
MANHOOD  wrote  that  name  again — 

"  HANCOCK  ! " 

Tell  me,  ye  whose  soldier-clay, 
Mingling,  molders — BLUE  with  GRAY  ; 
Tell  me,  SOULS  OF  MEN  !  whose  marches 
Still  advance,  where  Heaven  o'erarchesj 
What  was  LOST,  when  MANLY  strife 
Gained  a  MANLY  NATION'S  life  ? 


398  LIFE  OF  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK. 

What  was  LOST,  when  Southern  BARS 
Backward  fought,  from  Union  STARS — 
Gilding  starry  light  with  scars? 
When,  o'er  GETTYSBURG,  in  flame 
On  the  "Round  Top"  rose  that  Name— 

"HANCOCK!" 

What  was  LOST — when  ALL  is  OURS  ? 
Manlier  men,  with  manlier  powers? 
Memories  under  May-flowers  lying ; 
Sweetening  dust  with  DEEDS  undying ! 
UNION,  mingling  mutual  marts ; 
MANHOOD,  mingling  kindred  hearts! — 
Steadier  march  our  ranks  pursue ; 
LOCK-STEP,  now — for  GRAY  and  BLUE  ! 
And  in  line  that  SOLDIERS  knew, 
When,  "  the  Wilderness  "  they  trod, 
FORWARD,  following — under  GOD — 

"HANCOCK!" 

The  following  quotation,  from  a  letter  written  to  the 
"  Presbyterian,"  in  September,  1878,  by  Dr.  Junkin,  is 
the  latest  testimonial  of  that  distinguished  divine  and 
good  man  to  the  personal  character  of  General  Hancock  : 

"  General  Hancock,  whose  guest  I  am,  and  at  whose 
desk  these  lines  are  penned,  is,  as  you  know,  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian  of  the  Pennsylvanians.  Born  near  to  your  city 
(at  Montgomery  Square),  he  still  has  a  warm  love  for 
Pennsylvanians.  His  fame  needs  no  impulse  from  my 
pen.  But  I  know  the  readers  of  the  "  Presbyterian  "  will 
be  happy  to  be  told  that,  unlike  some  other  distinguished 
men,  his  social  character  and  private  morals  are  as  pure 
as  his  military  career  has  been  brilliant  and  his  civil 
record  magnanimous." 

THE      END. 


NEW    BOOKS 


MEMORIES  OF  MY  EXILE.  By  Loms  KOSSUTH.  Translated  from  the 
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"  These  '  Memories '  disclose  a  curious  episode  in  the  inner  life  of  English  do- 
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THE    HISTORICAL    POETRY    OF    THE    ANCIENT    HEBREWS. 

Translated  and  critically  examined   by  MICHAEL  HEILPKIN.     Vol.  II. 
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sistent fascination.  But  the  reverence  of  Mr.  Heilprin  for  the  subject-matter  of 
his  criticism  could  hardly  be  surpassed;  and,  that  it  has  not  lost  its  power  to 
interest  and  charm ,  his  book  itself  is  ample  evidence,  which  will  be  reinforced 
by  the  experience  of  every  intelligent  reader  of  its  too  brief  contents."— New  York 
Nation,  July  24, 1879. 

HEALTH.  By  W.  H.  CORFIELD,  Professor  of  Hygiene  and  Public  Health  at 
University  College,  London.  12mo.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.25. 

FRENCH  MEN  OF  LETTERS.  Personal  and  Anecdotical  Sketches  of 
VICTOR  Hu&o;  ALFRED  DE  MUSSET;  THEOPHILE  GAUTIER;  HENRI  MUR- 
GER;  SATNTE-BEUVE  ;  GERARD  DE  NERVAL;  ALEXANDRE  DUMAS,  FILS; 
£MILE  AUGIER  ;  OCTAVB  FEUILLET  ;  VICTORIEN  SABDOU  ;  ALPHONSE 
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A  THOUSAND  FLASHES  OF  FRENCH  WIT,  WISDOM,  AND 
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of  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Some  of  its  sayings  about  the  first  mentioned  would 
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often  wellnigh  intolerable  languor  of  a  summer  afternoon."— Boston  Courier. 

SCIENTIFIC  BILLIARDS.  Garnier's  Practice  Shots,  with  Hints  to  Ama- 
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By  Sir  THEODORE  MARTIN.  Fifth  and  concluding  volume.  One  vol., 
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Science  Primers:  Introductory. 

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(Continued^ 


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v. 

The  Household  Dickens. 

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him,  includes  "  THE  LIFE  OF  DICKENS  "  by  JOHN  FOBSTEB,  and  is  superbly 
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VI. 

A  Short  Life  of  Charles  DieJcens. 

With  Selections  from  his  Letters.  By  CHARLES  H.  JONES,  author  of 
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1802-1808.    Edited  by  her  Grandson,  PAUL  DE  REMUSAT,  Senator. 

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of  the  daily  life  of  Bonaparte  and  his  wife  and  the  terms  on  which  they  lived  not 
elsewhere  to  be  found.'1— New  York  Mail. 


VIII. 

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ft  APPLETON  &  Co.'s  KBCENT  PUBLICATIONS.— (Continued.) 
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1  vol.,  12mo,  468  pages,  cloth.  Price,  $1.75. 

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The  volume  is  replete  with  interest. 

x. 

EliJiw  Burritt : 

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XII. 

Erasmus  Darwin. 

By  ERNST  KRAUSE.  Translated  from  the  German  by  W.  S.  Dallas. 
With  a  Preliminary  Notice  by  Charles  Darwin.  With  Portrait  and 
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NEW  ILLUSTRATED  COOPER. 

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***  This  edition  of  the  Novels  of  Cooper  is  the  cheapest  ever  offered  to  the 
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D.  APPLETON  &  Co.'s  RECENT  PUBLICATIONS.— (Continued) 

. 

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Rodman  the  Keeper: 

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secret.  She  knows  its  nameless  joy,  and  its  undefinable  melancholy.  She  has 
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The  pathos  of  the  stories  is  wonderful,  but  it  is  wholesome,  natural  pathos,  not 
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xv. 

The  Return  of  the  Princess. 

From  the  French  of  JACQUES  YINCENT.     "New  Handy- Volume  Se- 
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44  There  is  a  force  and  power  of  genius  in  the  book  which  it  is  impossible  to 
ignore." — London  Spectator. 

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A  Novel.    By  WALTER  BESANT  and  JAMES  RICE.     8vo.    Paper  cover. 

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44  'The  Seamy  Side'  is  the  title  of  a  new  novel,  by  Walter  Besant  and  James 
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other  stories.  There  are  several  strong  characters  in  it.  'Anthony  Hamblin,' 
a  great  self-sacrificing  London  merchant,  his  relative  'Alison,'  his  brother  '  Ste- 
phen,' and  a  'Miss  Nethersole  '  are  boldly  outlined,  and  touched  in  places  with 
great  spirit  and  life.  Like  '  The  Golden  Butterfly,'  the  best  feature  of  the  book 
is  the  vein  of  enjoyable  humor  which  runs  through  it."— Hartford  Daily  Times. 

XVIII. 

Maneh. 

A  Novel.     By  MARY  E.  BRYAN,  Editor  of  the  "  Sunny  South."     One 
vol.,  12mo.     Cloth.     Price,  $1.60. 

41  We  have  in  '  Manch'  a  lurid,  melodramatic  story,  which  has  an  artistic  right 
and  reason  to  be  lurid  and  melodramatic.  Its  '  sensationalism,'  although  some- 


1.  APPLETON  &  Co.'s  RECENT  PUBLICATIONS.— (Continued.) 

what  exaggerated,  is  proper  to  it,  aiding  instead  of  hindering  its  artistic  purpose, 
precisely  as  scenes 
life,  aid  the  artistic 
tional 

ed  dramatically ;  the  characters  of  its  personages  are  cleverly  discriminated ;  in 
a  word,  the  workmanship  of  the  piece  is  in  the  main  so  good  as  tojustify  us,  iq 
saying  that  the  author  has  positive  gifts  as  a  novelist."— New  York  Evening  Post. 
"  I  regard  it  as  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  thrilling  stories  I  ever  read." 
—ALEXANDER  H.  STEPHENS. 

XIX. 

Di  Gary. 

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ton House,"  etc.     8vo.     Paper  cover.     Price,  76  cents. 

*' '  A  Gentle  Belle'  has  a  strong  dramatic  interest,  and  freshness  and  origi- 
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The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ. 

By  CUNNINGHAM  GEIKIE,  D.  D.    A  new  and  cheap  edition,  printed 
from  the  same  stereotype   plates  as  the  fine  illustrated  edition. 
Complete  intone  vol.,  8vo,  1,258  pages.     Cloth.    Price,  $1.50. 
This  is  the  only  cheap  edition  of  Geikie's  Life  of  Christ  that  contains  the 
copious  notes  of  the  author,  the  marginal  references,  and  an  index.    In  its  pres- 
ent form  it  is  a  marvel  of  cheapness. 

"A  work  of  the  highest  rank,  breathing  the  spirit  of  true  faith  in  Christ."— 
Dr.  Dehtzsch,  the  Commentator. 

"A  most  valuable  addition  to  sacred  literature."— A  N.  Littlejohn,  D.  Z>., 
Bishop  of  Long  Island. 

"  I  have  never  seen  any  life  of  our  Lord  which  approached  so  near  my  ideal  of 
such  a  work."— Austin  Phelps,  D.  D.,  author  of  "•  The  Still  Hour,"  etc. 

"  A  great  and  noble  work,  rich  in  information,  eloquent  and  scholarly  in  style, 
earnestly  devout  in  feeling."—  London  Literary  World. 

XXII. 

The  Longer  Epistles  of  Paul. 

Viz. :  Romans,  I  Corinthians,  II  Corinthians.    By  the  Rev.  HENRY 
COWLES,  D.  D.     One  vol.,  12rao.     Cloth.     Price,  $2.00.